Students in Malang, Makassar and Bali demand the investigation of human rights violations in WP – two demonstrations dispersed

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Published on Tuesday, 14 July 2020 11:56

Members of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian Peoples’ Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) organised peaceful protests in the Indonesian cities Denpasar (Bali), Makassar (South Sulawesi) and Malang (East Java). The demonstrations in Bali and Makassar were dispersed by local police forces. The protests were launched in commemoration of West Papua’s independence proclamation by the Free West Papua Organisation (OPM) on 1 July 1971 and the Biak massacre on 6 July 1998. The latter is one of many past gross human rights violations in West Papua, whose processing by a human rights court is still pending.

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KNPB Chairman and minor arbitrarily arrested in Maybrat

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Published on Tuesday, 14 July 2020 11:10

The Papuan news outlet Suara Papua reported that members of the Sorong Selatan District Police arbitrarily arrested the Chairman of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) branch office in Maybrat regency, Adam Sorry (see intro image, source: Suara Papua). Other KNPB members who witnessed the arrest claimed that the police officers tortured many KNPB members and released warning shots during the arrest. The police officers did not show a warrant or provided information regarding the reason for the arrest. The KNPB suspects that the police are attempting to criminalise the KNPB Chairman for the murder of a mobile brigade police officer in the regency of Bintuni. Previously, police officers targeted other KNPB branch offices during widespread raids in the Maybrat regency.

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At least 33 victims of extra-judicial killings in West Papua throughout 2019

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Published on Wednesday, 08 July 2020 13:02

The International Coalition for Papua (ICP) has documented the extra-judicial killings of 33 civilian victims^* by security force members throughout the year 2019. All victims were reportedly unarmed and – except for a single case – ethnic Papuans. This finding is an indication of the continuing pattern of state violence, violations of the right to life and the persistent racial discrimination which indigenous Papuans face in Indonesia. The list does not include victims of extra-judicial killings during the forceful dispersal of a protest against racism and the subsequent outbreak of ethnic violence in the town of Wamena on 23 September 2019. Investigations into the case are still ongoing. We demand Indonesian authorities to immediately conduct independent, impartial and effective investigations into these cases. All perpetrators should be brought to justice at civilian courts through fair and transparent trials, as stipulated in international human rights treaties.

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Papuan Council of Churches: the heart of the Papuan problem is racism and injustice

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Published on Monday, 06 July 2020 13:07

On 5 July 2020, the Papuan Council Of Churches (WPCC) released the following statement titled:  "Indonesian Special Autonomy Development for the Welfare of the Papuan People is Dead". The press release reads as follows:

Observing Jakarta's recent activities, unilaterally designing Special Autonomy Papua Volume II in order to avoid public pressure related to the racism in the Surabaya Student Dormitory and the consequent reverberations in Papua which have begun to cause movements at the grassroots, we need to remember that the direction and framework of the development of the Indonesian State in Papua have been imbued with ethnic superiority from the beginning. Since 1963, the existence of the Indonesian State has been stimulated by racial discrimination and therefore the fall of the authoritarian regime of Suharto as president of the Republic of Indonesia in 1998 provided a good opportunity and a breath of fresh air for the awakening of all Papuans, the demanding of political rights to independence and to leave the Republic of Indonesia.

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Merdeka Secretariat's Solidarity Month for West Papua

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Published on Monday, 06 July 2020 12:56

On July 1, the Merdeka Secretariat launched the solidarity month for West Papua which aims to intensify the online and offline information drive on the issues in West Papua. At the same time, according to the Merdeka Secretariat, the solidarity month will be used to explain the political as well as economic agenda behind the consistent criminalisation and repression of the Papuan people and their supporters. There are different educational activities lined up for the month, such as a webinar series and short video clips on current events in West Papua.

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Human Rights Update West Papua - 2nd Quarter 2020

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Published on Monday, 06 July 2020 13:49

The most significant events in the second quarter of 2020 were the outcomes in multiple trials against Papuan activists who had been prosecuted for the participation or the organisation of protests against racism in August and September 2019. Notably, the trial against the 'Balikpapan 7' drew the attention of Papuan civil society and international human rights observers as the public prosecutor demanded sentences of 5 to 17 years for the defendants. Religious leaders and other civil society actors in West Papua feared further outbreaks of riots if the seven activists had been sentenced with such high penalties. In comparison to other trials in Jayapura, Jakarta, Manokwari and Sorong, the demanded sentences for the defendants were disproportionately high. The lawyers representing the protesters at court stated that many of the hearings did not meet the standards of a fair and impartial trial. Fabricated evidence, prioritisation of police reports over court testimonies and deliberate changes in the established agenda were only a few shortcomings. Moreover, the lawyers claimed that the decision to conduct the trials via video conference turned out to affect the exercise of their mandate negatively. The public was excluded from trials.

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