Category: Press Release

Rallies calling on Ban Ki-Moon to protect Papuans to be held across Papua and Australia, on March 19

Reprinting Press Release 19 March 2012 from FRWP spokesperson

 
RALLY:  Federated Republic of West Papua
TUESDAY, 19 MARCH 2012, 11:30am-1:30pm
State Library, 328 Swanston St (cnr Swanston and La Trobe Sts), MELBOURNE
complementing rallies in Jayapura, Sorong, Biak, Yapen-Waropen, Manokwari, and Fak Fak
West Papuan independence advocates are questioning the UN Secretar
Ban Ki-moon waves to protestors for West Papua, PIF NZ Sept 2011
y-General’s presence—as a keynote speaker—at The Jakarta International Defence Dialogue, hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence on 21 March 2012.
“We would like Mr Ban Ki-moon to attend to our defence while he’s in Jakarta” said Herman Wainggai, the West Papuan independence advocate based in the United States.
“The Indonesian government brands us as separatists, and then hosts international fora to escalate support for what it says are ‘non-war military operations’ against us”.
Forkorus Yaboisembut, President of the Federated Republic of West Papua, currently incarcerated, requests the Secretary-General to recognise the leadership of the Federated Republic of West Papua elected at the Congress in October in 2011.
“The United Nations recognizes West Papua’s right to self-determination, and is therefore responsible for organising properly constituted peace talks, with itself mediating between the Federated Republic of West Papua and the Indonesian government.”
Edison Waromi, Prime Minister of the Federated Republic of West Papua, also incarcerated last week for another three years (he was also a political prisoner 1989—1999, 2001, 2002, 2003-2004) says the Secretary-General must actively insert himself into the West Papuan issue.
“The 564,126 missing Papuans since 1962, more than half-a-million people, should galvanize UN intervention.  And I believe the Secretary-General should also, while visiting Jakarta’s new Peacekeeping Centre this week, negotiate the release of all political prisoners in Indonesia.”
Many international observers believe that Indonesian political fears, that their republic will dissemble in the face of West Papuan self-determination, is misplaced.
“Holland didn’t fall over when Indonesia became independent, and neither will Indonesia when we do” said Wainggai. “Bali principles, Lombok treaties, Peace centres in West Java….these are all meaningless while Indonesia continues to escalate its troops and its judiciaries against us”.
Media Inquiries and Interviews
Please contact West Papua Media for direct contacts on the ground in the follwoing locations:
MELBOURNE, SORONG, BIAK, YAPEN WAROPEN, MANOKWARI, JAYAPURA , and FAK FAK.
PLEASE NOTE: RALLIES TO ALSO BE HELD BY WEST PAPUA NATIONAL COMMITTEE (KNPB) ACROSS PAPUA AND INDONESIA: DETAILS FORTHCOMING
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AI Public Statement: Sentencing of Papuan activists a setback to free expression and assembly

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT16 March 2012
Index: ASA 21/011/2012

Indonesia: Sentencing of Papuan activists a setback to free expression and assembly

Indonesian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release five men who have today been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for taking part in a peaceful gathering in Papua province in October 2011. The court decision significantly erodes Indonesia’s respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Amnesty International

Forkorus Yaboisembut, Edison Waromi, August Sananay Kraar, Dominikus Sorabut, and Selpius Bobii were each sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Jayapura District Court. They were arrested on 19 October 2011 for participating in the Third Papuan People’s Congress, a peaceful gathering held in Abepura, Papua from 17-19 October 2011 and charged with “rebellion” under Article 106 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.

Amnesty International considers all five men to be prisoners of conscience. They join over 90 political activists in the provinces of Papua and Maluku who have been imprisoned solely for their peaceful political activities.

The rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are guaranteed in Article 19 and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a state party, as well as in other international instruments. Moreover, these rights are protected under Indonesia’s Constitution. While the Indonesian government has the duty and the right to maintain public order, it must ensure that any restrictions to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are no more than is permitted under international human rights law.

Amnesty International has also received credible reports about threats and intimidation against the five and one their lawyers during their trial. Amnesty International expressed its concern about these reports in a letter sent to the Indonesian authorities in March 2012, pointing out that these allegations, if true, undermine the credibility of the judicial process in Indonesia, and specifically in the Papua region.

Amnesty is also concerned about the authorities’ lack of progress in investigating allegations of human rights violations committed by the security forces on the final day of the Congress. On 19 October police units supported by the military surrounded the venue and fired shots into the air to break up the gathering. As participants began to flee, police units from the Jayapura City police station and the Papua regional police headquarters arbitrarily arrested an estimated 300 hundred people and allegedly kicked and beat some of them. Most were released the following day. Three people were later found dead at the scene and over 90 people were reportedly injured. A National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) investigation found evidence of human rights violations by the Indonesian security forces, including violations of the right to life, unnecessary and excessive use of force, and ill-treatment.

While 17 police officials subsequently received administrative sanctions for violating disciplinary procedures, these internal disciplinary hearings did not deal with the allegations of human rights violations that occurred.

Amnesty International calls on the Indonesian authorities to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into all allegations of human rights violations by the security forces during the Third Papuan People’s Congress. Should the allegations be verified, those responsible, including those with command responsibility, should be brought to justice in fair trials and the victims receive reparations.

Amnesty International takes no position whatsoever on the political status of any province of Indonesia, including calls for independence. However the organization believes that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate referendums, independence or any other political solutions that do not involve incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

Link: Link: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA21/011/2012/en





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FORKORUS’ AND FOUR OTHERS’ SENTENCE VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
			

				


Joint Press release from TAPOL, the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Faith-Based Network on West Papua, Franciscans International, and the West Papua Netzwerk 


FORKORUS’ AND FOUR OTHERS’ SENTENCE VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS LAW


16 March 2012 – The Jayapura state court today found five Papuan leaders guilty of treason, sentencing them each to three years imprisonment. TAPOL, the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Faith-Based Network on West Papua, Franciscans International, and the West Papua Netzwerk seriously regret the verdict and question the fairness of the trial proceedings. The verdict is another example of the severe restrictions by the Indonesian authorities on the right to freedom of expression of the Papuans. We call upon Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to order that all convictions which do not reflect international legal standards be overturned and the prisoners be immediately released. 


Today’s verdict represents a setback in the relationship between Jakarta and Papua, suggesting that Indonesian authorities still see arrest and detention as the best ways to respond to expressions of Papuan aspirations. As a country widely applauded for its burgeoning democracy, Indonesia should be promoting peaceful political activity, not punishing it.


Forkorus Yaboisembut, Edison Waromi, Selpius Bobii, Dominikus Surabut and August Kraar were arrested in October 2011 for their roles in the Third Papuan People’s Congress, a peaceful gathering at which the leaders declared that Papua has been independent since 1961. As the gathering began to disperse, security forces fired shots into the crowd and carried out mass arrests and beatings. Three people were shot dead.


While the leaders of the Congress now face three years in jail for their peaceful actions, those responsible for the violent response to the Congress received a slap on the wrist, and investigations to determine who was responsible for the killings have led to neither justice nor accountability.


The five men were convicted of treason under Article 106 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. While the treason laws are intended to prosecute serious crimes against the state, alleged members of the armed resistance are rarely if ever brought to trial in Papuan courts; they are beaten, tortured or shot. Article 106 is instead used to charge those engaged in peaceful actions such as raising the Papuan national ‘Morning Star’ flag or organising and attending public events at which Papua rights and aspirations are asserted.


The denial made by the Coordinating Minister for Law and Human Rights of any political prisoners this month shows a lack of commitment to uphold human rights norms that are applicable to Indonesia according to international law, including that the peaceful expression of political opinions cannot be persecuted.


There are serious doubts about the fairness of the trial proceedings. Armed members of the security forces maintained a heavy presence during the trial sessions, and one of the senior lawyers for the defence, Gustav Kawer, is being threatened with prosecution, in violation of his right under Indonesian law and international standards to carry out his professional duties in defending clients in court. There have also been questions about the independence of the judges, who were reportedly visited by senior military, police and government officials just one hour before the trial began.


According to TAPOL’s data, the five men will join at least 27 other Papuan political prisoners currently in jail for treason under article 106. All those detained for peaceful political activities should be immediately and unconditionally released.


ENDS


Contacts: 


Paul Barber, TAPOL, +44 7747 301 739




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HRW: Five Papuans Convicted for Peaceful Protest
			

									
											
							
 
					

				
English: Human Rights Watch logo Русский: Лого...
Image via Wikipedia


















For Immediate Release


From HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH


Indonesia: Five Papuans Convicted for Peaceful Protest

Amend Treason Law to Uphold Free Speech


(New York, March 16, 2012) – The Indonesian government should drop the politically motivated treason charges against five Papuan activists who were convicted on March 16, 2012, and order their release, Human Rights Watch said today. 


The district court in Jayapura, the Papuan provincial capital, convicted the five men and sentenced them to three years in prison for statements made at a Papuan People’s Congress in October 2011. The demonstration was brutally suppressed by the authorities, leaving at least three people dead. The five men convicted on March 16 are Selpius Bobii, a social media activist, August Sananay Kraar, a civil servant, Dominikus Sorabut, a filmmaker, Edison Waromi, a former political prisoner, and Forkorus Yaboisembut, a Papuan tribal leader.


“If the Indonesian government wants to make an example out of these people, then it should free them as a symbol of its commitment to free expression,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead, the legacy of the Papuan Congress crackdown will be five unjust convictions, while those responsible for the violence go unpunished.”


On October 19, 2011, in Jayapura, Indonesian security forces used excessive force to break up a three-day People’s Congress demonstration supporting independence for Papua, Human Rights Watch said. After Yaboisembut, one of the leaders, read aloud the 1961 Papua Declaration of Independence, police and the army fired warning shots to disperse the approximately 1,000 Papuans gathered. The security forces then used batons and in some instances firearms against the demonstrators, killing at least three and injuring more than 90 others. Witnesses said that demonstrators had been struck on the head and several suffered gunshot wounds.


Following the incident, 17 police officers, including the Jayapura police chief, Imam Setiawan and seven of his subordinates, were given written warnings for committing a disciplinary infraction by not giving priority to the protection of civilians. However, no other action was taken against police or military personnel for possible misuse of force. 


The trial of the five activists raised serious due process concerns, Human Rights Watch said. During the trial, the defense told the court that police questioned their clients in the first 24 hours of arrest without the presence of lawyers. The defense also alleged that the men were beaten by police while in custody. Police allegedly kicked Yaboisembut in the chest and beat his head with a rifle butt. Sorabut testified that the police beat him on his head with a pistol and struck his body repeatedly with an M-16 assault rifle. Kraar said he was hit by police twice on the head with a pistol.


Human Rights Watch renewed its call for the Indonesian government to release all political prisoners and allow human rights organizations and foreign journalists unimpeded access to Papua.


The Indonesian Criminal Code should be amended to ensure that no one is prosecuted for treason for exercising their rights to peaceful protest protected under the Indonesian constitution and international law, Human Rights Watch said. The constitution, in article 28(e), states, “Every person shall have the right to the freedom of association and expression of opinion.” Article 28(f) provides, “Every person shall have the right to communicate and obtain information for the development of his/her personal life and his/her social environment, and shall have the right to seek, acquire, possess, keep, process, and convey information by using all available channels.” The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Indonesia ratified in 2006, similarly protects the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.


Human Rights Watch takes no position on claims to self-determination in Papua. Consistent with international law, however, Human Rights Watch supports the right of everyone, including independence supporters, to express their political views peacefully without fear of arrest or other forms of reprisal.


“Throwing activists in prison on charges of treason will just reinforce Papuans’ beliefs that the Indonesian government uses the law for political purposes,” Pearson said. “And while the government is busy prosecuting peaceful protesters, it seems to have had no time to investigate adequately the violence against them.”


To read the October 28, 2011 Human Rights Watch news release, “Indonesia: Independent Investigation Needed Into Papua Violence,” please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/10/28/indonesia-independent-investigation-needed-papua-violence 


To read Human Rights Watch’s report on political prisoners in Indonesia, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2010/06/23/prosecuting-political-aspiration-0 


For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Indonesia, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/asia/indonesia 


 


















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AUSTRALIAN MUSIC LOVERS MAKE HISTORY FOR FREE WEST PAPUA
			

									
											
							
 
					

				


PRESS RELEASE FROM BLUE KING BROWN














AUSTRALIAN MUSIC LOVERS MAKE HISTORY




















On Sunday 11 March at WOMADelaide, an amazing main stage performance by Blue King Brown with artists from West Papua gave life to a beautiful moment of solidarity when over 10,000 people raised their fists in the biggest public display of Australian support for West Papuan self determination.







Blue King Brown invited members of the 43 asylum seekers, who were granted entry into Australia from West Papua in 2006, and co-founders of ‘RIZE of the Morning Star‘, to join them on stage. ‘RIZE of the morning star’ is a campaign that is calling for a peaceful, nonviolent solution to end the inhumane treatment of West Papuans. West Papua is only 250km from Australian shores and the support of the Australian people and Government will play a vital role in creating independence for this country.











“I feel that the majority of Australians will be shocked as well as saddened to hear about what is happening in West Papua, almost 50 years of human rights abuse. We support human rights and justice, not just for West Papuans, but for all people everywhere around the world, and you can see that our global community is starting to demand that our voices be heard,” says Natalie Pa’apa’a of Blue King Brown.








The West Papuan message is simple, they want self determination and are calling upon the international community for support.




Please take a moment and sign the petition to show your support for West Papua here: http://www.rizeofthemorningstar.com































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