Category: Urgent Action

Amnesty: Investigate military attacks on villagers in Wamena, Papua

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT
8 June 2012
Index: ASA 21/020/2012
Indonesia: Investigate military attacks on villagers in Wamena, Papua

The Indonesian authorities must ensure a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into reports of unnecessary and excessive use of force including firearms by security forces in Wamena, Papua province.

In the afternoon of 6 June 2012, two soldiers on motorcycles reportedly ran over and injured a 3 year-old child playing by the side of the road in the village of Honelama in Wamena. Villagers who witnessed the incident chased the soldiers and stabbed one to death and injured the other.

In retaliation, two trucks of soldiers from army battalion Yonif 756/Wamena arrived at Honelama village not long after and reportedly opened fire arbitrarily on the village killing one person, Elinus Yoman. According to reliable local sources, soldiers also stabbed around a dozen people with their bayonets. In addition, soldiers reportedly burned down dozens of homes, buildings and vehicles during the attack. Many of the villagers have fled the area and are afraid to return to their homes.

Amnesty International acknowledges the difficulties faced by security forces in Indonesia, especially when confronted with violence. Persons suspected of committing violent crimes, including against members of security forces, must be brought to justice. However, suspects must be identified individually for arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law – there is no place for collective punishment and random, vindictive violence.

The power of law enforcement officials to use force is restricted by relevant international human rights law and standards, the basis of which is the need to respect and protect the right to life. This right is provided for in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a state party, which also provides that this right must never be derogated from, including in times of emergency. The right to life is also provided for in the Indonesian Constitution.

If the investigations find that the security forces committed unlawful killings or used force unnecessarily or excessively, then those responsible, including persons with command responsibility, must be prosecuted in civilian courts in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness.  Victims must be provided with reparations.

Credible reports of human rights violations committed by the security forces continue to emerge in the provinces of Papua and West Papua, including torture and other ill-treatment, unnecessary and excessive use of force, including firearms, and unlawful killings.

Despite a public commitment made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in February 2012 that cases of human rights violations would be “legally processed and perpetrators penalized”, investigations into reports of abuses by security forces are rare and only a few perpetrators have been brought to justice.

The lack of accountability is exacerbated by the failure to revise the Law on Military Tribunals (Law No. 31/1997). Military personnel charged with human right offences are tried in military courts. Amnesty International has expressed concerned about the lack of independence and impartiality of these trials.

Amnesty International urges the Indonesian government to address the culture of impunity in Papua by taking the necessary steps to ensure that all security forces responsible for human rights violations are held accountable. The government must also immediately revise the Law on Military Tribunals so that military personnel suspected of offences involving human rights violations can be investigated and tried in an independent civilian judicial system and victims and witnesses provided with adequate protection.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA21/020/2012/en





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Yapen: major military sweeps and abuses against ordinary villagers intensify
			

				
June 8, 2012


by West Papua Media


Information has been received from human rights sources on Yapen Island alleging that major security sweeps and blockades of villages home to non-violent political activists are causing mass


A senior police officer in Serui told West Papuan activists that 140 more Kopassus personnel  have been deployed from Jayapura, with two more companies of Brimob paramilitary police to be sent from Biak, reinforcing a significant build-up of military strength since April aimed at smashing West Papuan non-violent resistance to Indonesian military occupation.


The district of Angkaisera, east of Serui (14 villages), has been subject to an ongoing complete blockade and village raids by Indonesian security forces from June 7, preventing freedom of movement, and causing thousands of civilians to seek refuge in the jungle without food.   This military psychological operation known by local West Papuans as a “show force”, no-one has been able to gather to express their opposition to this brutal behaviour in front of the local parliamentary office of the DPRP.


It is being reported that seven people have been arrested today, reportedly under charge of Makar (subversion).  The names and places of those arrested are not known at this stage.


On June 8 at 12pm local time, a truckload of Riot Police (Dalmas) and joined by plain clothes militia and intelligence agents, went to Wadapi village where reports of intimidation were made.  The militia and riot police went back to Wadapi at 8pm together with 3 truckloads of joint taskforce army and police, and have occupied the village.  According to West Papua Media’s stringer in the area,  the joint-force occupied the village while drunk.


Angkaisera has been surrounded with security forces for the last two days, according to local activists.  Report have also been received that several political activists have been issued with letters to demand presentation to the local Indonesian police.  Governor of the Yapen district for the Federal Republic of West Papua alternative government, Daud Abon, has been issued a second warning letter to hand himself into police.  If he does not comply he will be hunted with full force, together with all other political activists in the area, according to the letter.


At the time of writing, news was received that raids were underway across Angkaisera district by joint-forces of TNI,Police and Detachment 88, together with special forces of Kopassus, and Kostrad Strategic Reserve commandos from the Pattimura division based in Maluku, the Hassanudin divisions from Makassar, and the Siliwangi division from West Java, who have reportedly all been sent to Yapen.  It is not known if these reports indicate entire battalions or just specialist companies from each division.  West Papua Media has not been able to independently been able to verify these reports, as if correct will indicate a deployment of five battalions of fully armed combat forces, numbering some 7500 soldiers.


Further raids are expected to be carried out at 3 am local time  in Anotorey and Mantembu villages, according to activists who are reporting that local people are terrified and very alarmed for their safety.


 


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AHRC: Prison guards tortured 42 prisoners and detainees at Abepura correctional facility in Papua
			

				





June 8, 2012




Dear friends,



The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture of 42 prisoners and detainees by prison guards at Abepura Correctional Facility on 30 April 2012 following an argument between one of the detainees, Selfius Bobii, and the Head of the Abepura Correctional Facility (Abepura Kalapas). The prisoners were beaten, kicked, hit with wood blocks as well as iron sticks and some of them were trampled by the prison guards. Their personal items were taken away and burned. The torture and property destruction took place under the order of the Abepura Kalapas.


CASE NARRATIVE:

According to several local NGOs such as The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violance in Papua (KontraS Papua), Sekretariat Keadilan, Perdamaian dan Keutuhan Ciptaan (SKPKC) Fransiskan Papua, Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Papua) and Elsham Papua, around 12pm on 30 April 2012, the prison guards at Class II.A of the Abepura Correctional Facility were going to put back and lock the detainees and prisoners in their cell. Amongst them was Selfius Bobii who was detained and received punishment for his involvement in the Third Papuan Congress in October 2011. Selfius had asked the Head of the Correctional Facility’s Security Unit (KPLP), Juwaini, for a permit to hold a creative activity with other prisoners but his request was dismissed by the KPLP. This led to an argument between him and the Abepura Kalapas, Liberti Sitinjak, who heard the conversation of Selfius and one of his staffs.


The argument between Selfius and the Kalapas ended with an order from the Kalapas to the prison guards to put Selfius into isolation. Selfius avoided the prison guards and insisted that he should not be isolated as he has not done anything wrong.


Other prisoners who were at their cell witnessed this and they also yelled at the prison guards asking them to put Selfius back to his cell instead of to the isolation. Their requests were ignored and the prison guards put Selfius in an isolated area. The prison guards later went back to the cells where the prisoners were yelling. The guards were offended with what the prisoners said so they took them out of their cell and beat, kicked and hit them with fists, wood blocks and iron sticks. The prisoners were also whipped with thick ropes supposed to use for controlling cows. They were also dragged to the yard in front of the block and were asked to walk whilst they were crouching for about 200 metres. As they were doing this, the guards kept beating and kicking them. The guards stepped on some of the prisoners and detainees’ fingers and toes. The guards also kept saying to the prisoners ‘you are all stupid, that is why you ended up here’. The torture and ill-treatment took place for about two and a half hours, approximately from 12.30-3.15pm. There were 41 prisoners in total who were treated this way by twenty prison guards. Two prisoners Hendrik Kenelak and Otto Ikinia fainted and one, Parmen Wenda, had his arm broken.


Before the prison guards put the prisoners back to their cell, the Kalapas asked them to search the cells and took away their personal belongings  and later burned them. Selfius was brought to the Papua Regional Police Station and was questioned. He did not receive any ill-treatment whilst he was there and was later sent back to Abepura Correctional Facility on 3 May 2012.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Principle 6 of the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention and Imprisonment explicitly prohibits the use of torture and ill-treatment against persons whose liberty are deprived. The principle also emphasises that no reason can be used to justify any state officials to conduct torture and ill-treat prisoners. These principles are in accordance with the provisions under the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UN CAT) to which Indonesia is a state party since 1998. Yet although Indonesia has ratified the UN CAT, torture itself has yet to be criminalised in Indonesia in order to end the ongoing practice. For this reason, at the first and second Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council’s session on Indonesia, several countries urged the Indonesian government to criminalise torture and to reform its Penal Code in accordance with its international human rights obligations.


The absence of articles making torture a punishable crime in Indonesia contributes to the low investigation rate seen in torture cases in Indonesian criminal procedure. Torture is often deemed merely as a violation to disciplines for which, in the majority of cases, the perpetrators received inadequate or no punishment. Military officers who tortured several Papuans in 2010 as shown in a video distributed on the internet, for instance, were sent only to 8 to 10 month imprisonment for disobedience but have not been held accountable for the torture they committed.




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PHOTOS/VIDEO: Latest Confirmed information from Wamena after TNI rampage
			

									
											
							
 
					

				
This slideshow requires JavaScript.


West Papua Media


updated Thursday 1955 West Papua Time


June 7, 2012 1830 West Papua time


Latest information confirmed from Wamena, Baliem Valley on the effects of the Rampage by troops and police from Battalion 756 in Wamena:


THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REPORT: ONLY 45% OF ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN DONE BY LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS SO FAR – SITUATION IS STILL INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS WITH TROOPS STILL SHOOTING PEOPLE ON SIGHT.


Number of Victims:


    

  • 8 People Killed, 3 killed instantly
    • 

  • 19 People seriously injured
    • 



Number of Civilian houses and dwellings burnt and destroyed:


    

  • 100 Houses
    • 

  • 22 pigs killed
    • 



Place:


Wamena town, Baliem Valley, localities of Sinakma, Honailama and Eabukama


Perpetrators:


    

  • Joint Team Battalion Wim Ane Sili Kodim 756 (lit. “House of the Sound of War) Wamena;
    • 

  • TNI Koramil Wamena,
    • 

  • Polri Police Wamena Brimob
    • 

  • Detachment 88 members in support (confirmed by WPM sources)
    • 



Time of abuse:


Dated June 6, 2012 Time: 01. 15 – to 07 o’clock.  Operation is ongoing.


Video of Wamena boy (unidentified) shot by 756 troops during rampage:






.


This slideshow requires JavaScript.


Slideshow: photographs of the damage and victims of the rampage by Battalion 756 troops in Wamena, June 6, 2012


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BREAKING NEWS: INDONESIAN ARMY ON BRUTAL RAMPAGE ACROSS WAMENA AFTER SOLDIERS KILLED FOR KILLING BOY IN CAR ACCIDENT
			

									
											
							
 
					

				
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 2012,   (2230 WEST PAPUA TIME)


BY WEST PAPUA MEDIA WITH LOCAL SOURCES.


CURRENT DEVELOPING SITUATION: CREDIBLE AND CONFIRMED REPORTS ARE EMERGING FROM WAMENA DETAILING RAMPAGE BY INDONESIAN TROOPS FROM KOSTRAD BATTALION 756; 


Summary:


    

  • Two members of Indonesian army battalion 756 kill small Papuan boy in car accident;
    • 

  • Local residents attack soldiers for killing child, kill two soldiers;
    • 

  • TNI and Police are now setting fire to houses, shops and kiosks;
    • 

  • Reports of indiscriminate firing and major casualties; 
    • 

  • Major exodus as thousands of residents flee Wamena;
    • 

  • Local human rights workers fear repeat of Bloody Wamena 2000;
    • 

  • Australian supported Detachment 88 unit allegedly involved in rampage.
    • 





A bloody and brutal rampage by Indonesian security forces is currently underway in Wamena, in the Baliem Valley of West Papua, after two soldiers were killed for running down a small boy in Wamena on Wednesday afternoon.


At time of writing, up to 500 houses have allegedly been set alight by soldiers from Battalion 756 Mim Anesili Wamena, and kiosks and shops have been hit with flamethrowers in the suburbs of Honailama and Sinakma. Live ammunition is being fired indiscriminately according to local human rights sources, who claim that “scores” of people have been brutally beaten and shot by rampaging soldiers. Exact casualty figures have not been able to be confirmed, however unconfirmed claims are circulating that 13 people have been shot dead so far.


Unverified photo claimed to be of Indonesian Brimob police and Australian-supported Detachment 88 counter-terror patrol outside Honailama after the first shootings by rampaging TNI battalion 756 soldiers. June 6, 2012. (West Papua Media local source)


The situation unfolded on Wednesday afternoon in the outlying village of Honailama when two members of Kostrad (Strategic Reserve) battalion 756, identified as Pratu Ahmad Saifudin and Pratu Ahmad Saelan, were driving a car at speed through Honailama, and hit a young boy (as yet unidentified) who was playing at the roadside. The soldiers were alleged to have been careless, and enraged villagers – including clan members of the boy – dragged the soldiers from the car and beat them to death.


Upon hearing of the beatings, the entire army battalion (1500 combat troops) was mobilised onto the streets of Wamena, and according to witnesses, have opened fire indiscriminately at any Papuan person. The battalion is also being supported in a search and cordon operation by the entire Wamena Brimob police commando battalion, and also officers from the Australian-trained and funded Detachment 88 counter-terrorist group. All elements of the Indonesian security forces present in Wamena are participating in the rampage operation, amid unconfirmed reports of hundreds of arrests.

Local sources are reporting that the carnage is so intense that smoke is filling the entire Baliem Valley and covering the town.


A witness has spoken to the West Papua Media team and confirmed the situation in Wamena. “It happened in front of my house in the compound I live. Soldiers have shot and hit people. The army beat innocent people who know nothing and did not understand why. This is really a violation of human rights. My house was stoned and the glass window was shattered into pieces,” the witness, who asked not to be named, told West Papua Media via SMS.


Human Rights sources in Wamena are saying that local people are terrified that the Indonesian army actions look like they will eclipse the “Bloody Wamena” incident of 6 October 2000. That incident saw hundreds of people wounded and at least 38 people shot dead or dying from injuries inflicted by Indonesian torture in the aftermath of a flag-raising incident.

According to Sebby Sambon, a Wamena-native human rights worker said, “Some friends called me a few hours ago top say that the TNI and POLRI are shooting local peoples in every place in the town of Wamena. Some Papuans civilians (have been) killed by TNI and POLRI two hours ago (about 7pm Wamena time – WPM). We hope UN and all UN member states keep their attention on the situation. “

Sambon also said that TNI and POLRI forces are also burning local houses both in and outside the town of Wamena.

This is a developing situation – please stay tuned to West Papua Media newswire.


Media note: Photos and video of this ongoing situation are currently being sourced, and West Papua Media will upload links for general distribution, on condition of credit to West Papua Media, when it becomes available. Donations to cover costs would be appreciated if broadcast.


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