Multiple UN Special Procedures mandate-holders have initiated a communication with the Indonesian government on 30 August 2021 in response to the arrest and prosecution of Papuan human rights activist Victor Yeimo. They asked the government to respond to information submitted by civil society organisations (CSOs) shortly after the arrest of three Papuan activists, including Victor Yeimo. Indonesian authorities processed him for his involvement in peaceful anti-racism and self-determination campaigns in West Papua.
The CSOs had raised allegations that Indonesian authorities were targeting Victor Yeimo to cooperate with the UN human rights mechanisms. Victor Yeimo had attended the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, where he addressed the UN Human Rights Council on 13 March 2019 during the General Debate about the human rights situation in West Papua. He also spoke at an NGO side event in Room XXV of Palais des Nations titled “Indonesia: Ensuring the Survival of Indigenous Papuans” during the same session.
Moreover, the special rapporteurs asked the Indonesian Government to provide information about the prosecution of Kelvin Molama and Roland Levy, two Papuan students who were arbitrarily arrested in Jakarta on 3 March 2021. Both are affiliated with the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), a Papuan student organisation that carries out peaceful protests and academic discussions about the human rights situation in West Papua in all major cities across Indonesia.
