Tag: Mobile Brigade (Indonesia)

1 dead, 3 shot in Waghete, Paniai by Brimob for refusing to shave dreadlocks

by West Papua Media team

September 25, 2013

West Papua Media (WPM) stringers have received credible disturbing reports of a major escalation in Indonesian police operations against civilians in the Waghete, outside Enarotali in Paniai, resulting in the shooting of three civilians and the death of one.

Three men were shot by Brimob paramilitary police on September 23 after refusing to cut their hair or beards, and another two were arrested.  Alpius Mote (20) was shot dead by Brimob in the chest and died on the spot.  Fransiskus Dogopia (30) is in a critical condition after being shot with automatic fire by Brimob in his stomach and in the right side of his neck.  The third shooting victim, Alex Mote (29), has unknown gunshot injuries and his condition is also unknown at time of writing.
Police also arrested Frans Bukeja (21) and Yance Pekei (22), also for refusing to cut their hair, according to human rights workers.  Bukeja has been since released by Police, however Pekei is still being detained at the Enarotali District Police Command Post, and his family is gravely concerned for his safety, according to WPM sources.

According to local witnesses, speaking to WPM by telephone on condition of anonymity,  the operations in Waghete occurred on Monday, September 23, with house to house sweeps by hundreds of heavily armed Brimob, looking for any supporters of Papuan independence, and confiscating mobile phones searching for Papuan pro-independence songs and music,  and searching for nukens (dillybags) with any image of the banned Morning Star Flag.

During Monday night’s raids, all Papuan men with long hair, long beards or dreadlocks were allegedly ordered at gunpoint by Brimob officers to cut their hair or beards on the spot or they would be shot dead.  Long hair or beards are stigmatised by Indonesian occupation forces as an indicator of pro-independence activities, and “offenders” are summarily punished regularly in Paniai for their hairstyles, according to local human rights workers, and previous investigations by WPM.

These sweeps have been a weekly occurrence since  Operation Matoa began in late 2011, putting the Paniai regency in a unofficial war zone in a bid to wipe out armed and then nonviolent civilian resistance to Indonesian occupation.  West Papua Media reported in December 2011 on the ruthless Operation Matoa which was launched across the region to destroy the TPN forces of Jhon Yogi – resulting in the displacement of over 14,000 people, almost 150 villages burnt down and the failure of basic services that is still ongoing.

These latest sweeps, local human rights workers who visited Enarotali told WPM, are an extension of Operation Matoa, but Indonesian security forces have openly told sweep targets that nothing less than total loyalty to Indonesian security forces will be tolerated.  Extreme state violence is justified by security forces, to make an example of anyone who questions Indonesian rule, according to the human rights sources.

Local sources have also reported to WPM that a large number of security forces have amassed around Enaratoli together with several companies of the notorious 753 Battalion of  Indonesian army (TNI).  Local residents are preparing to survive another arbitrary military offensive against civilians, according to the sources.

 Several attempts to contact Police in Enaratoli or Paniai in the last 24 hours have been rebuffed.
Westpapuamedia.info
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Brimob officer shoots dead mentally ill teenager in Wamena, beat witnesses

by West Papua Media
August 12, 2013
(Apologies for the delay in posting, due to fact checking)
An Indonesian Brimob police officer has shot dead an unarmed mentally ill Lani youth in Wamena on Thursday, after the youth allegedly verbally ridiculed the passing heavily armed police patrol on Jalan Ahmad Yani, according to witnesses interview by West Papua Media stringers.
Irwan Janengga, also known as Irwan Wenda (18) was shot dead without verbal warning by a Brimob anti-terrorist officer from Ambon, BrikPol Lua Lusman from the Jayawijaya brigade, who was a member of a five-man patrol that encountered Janengga outside the police post, according to witnesses interviewed by human rights activists and our stringers.
According to witnesses with the initials AW and BK,  Janengga taunted the officers with nonsensical words and said, “”The plane has landed so (are) storing the goods,” (referring to corruption in the police).  The five man patrol took offence to this taunting, and several members fired two warning shots from their automatic rifles without a verbal warning.  Janengga took no notice of these warning shots, according to the witnesses, and continued his “crazy talk”.
Peluru di Perut Irwan WendaAs the Brimob officers were preparing to shoot Janengga, the two witnesses shouted to BrikPol Lusman, “Just ignore him, he has  nervous disorders of the brain, do not shoot him!”.  Brikpol Lusman ignored this plea, and opened fire on Janengga, aiming multiple shots directly at the legs, abdomen, head and left hand of victim.  Janengga died instantly according to witnesses.
Immediately after the shooting, the 5 police officers began an unprovoked attack and beatings on the two witnesses, and arrested them with force.  Polisi Tembak Kepala Irwan WendaThey were taken then to the Jayawijaya Police HQ, where the witnesses reported to West Papua Media’s stringer that they were forcefully interrogated by police, allegedly with the aim to manipulate the official witness statements of the shooting incident according to BK and AW.  Upon learning of their detention, the victims families demanded the immediate release of the witnesses a demand with which Police complied by early afternoon on Thursday.

Janengga’s body was then brought by another police unit to the General Hospital in Wamena.
The body of Janengga was retrieved from the hospital by his family late on Thursday afternoon, and brought to his home, where the family conducted mourning ceremonies.  At the time of publication, the victim was still unburied.

Irwan Wenda Tiko Kogoya, the victim’s aunt, told human rights workers after learning of the testimony of two witnesses after the shooting. “Our victim’s family is upset over the shooting of our son.”Tempat Penembakan Irwan Wenda
“Our Boy, he was (with) nervous disorders of the brain, he just simply said ‘why police shoot’,” said Tiko Kogoya.

Tiko continued, “we the victim’s family, ask that the perpetrators should be prosecuted in court, act honestly, and be punished accordingly,” she said.
Footage shot by local witnesses has emerged of the aftermath of the shooting, showing local people outraged at another unprovoked killing by Indonesian forces on unarmed  indigenous Papuan citizens.
 Meanwhile Ogram Wanimbo, an activist with the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Wamena chapter, told our stringer, “The shooting that happened, it is a human rights abuse, since police shot a mentally ill young man because of a nervous breakdown in the brain.. who was sayings word without (being) conscious (of the meaning)”, he said.
Ogram also said “We strongly condemn the perpetrators of the shooting, and we are annoyed by his preaching of the case in local and national media, engineering the chronology of the incident, without interviewing witnesses and families of victims… the fraudulent news does not fit the facts of incident,” he said.
A human rights worker in Wamena told West Papua Media: “This shooting that was done in service of a State mission, that continues to be done, and will be done by the Indonesian invader forces, through military and police in Papua, are unlawful acts under International law, the ICCPR and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (all of) which have been ratified into law of the Republic of Indonesia.”
WestPapuaMedia
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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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Treason trials hand down guilty verdict on Congress leaders: reports
			

									
											
							
 
					

				
from West Papua Media sources in Jayapura


March 16, 2012


Papuan leaders accused of treason on trial in Jayapura, January 30, 2012


(Jayapura):  Hundreds of security forces are on the streets around Jaypura, West Papua, in a show of force as an Indonesian court found five Congress leaders guilty of Makar (treason), and sentenced the defendants each to three years in prison.


The five defendants, Forkorus Yaboisembut, Edison Waromi, Selfius Bobii, Dominikus Sorabut, and Agus Kraar, were leaders and organisers of the Third Papuan People’s Congress held on October 19 2011, which was brutally broken up by Indonesian security forces after Forkorus  – the Chairman of the Papuan Tribal Council elected as President of the Federated Republic of West Papua – unilaterally reaffirmed West Papua’s independence from Indonesia.


Today’s hearing at the Jayapura Class 1A District Court, the 15th hearing in a trial described by international observers of “descending into farce”, closed after the panel of judges led by Jack Johan Oktavianus declared that the defendants had committed treason under Article 106 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.


During the trial, several Indonesian Brimob paramilitary police officers who opened fire on the Congress gathering, admitted they had no proof that the accused had committed treason before they opened fire on unarmed civilians.


No member of the Indonesian security forces, who during the breakup of Congress were filmed committing acts of brutality and violence on unarmed civilians, were criminally charged and so far have not receive any sanction for the unprovoked attack.


On March 14, another defendant from the Third Papuan Peoples’, Gat Wenda, was also found guilty of makar charges, but was sentence to five months gaol, less time he has already served since his arrest.


Lawyers for the defendants, themselves under threat of prosecution and harassment by Indonesian security forces for their advocacy for the accused, have planned to appeal the decisions, saying “we think this decision is a disaster.”


In SMS messages sent from the legal team to West Papua Media, senior lawyer Olga Hamadi said “we think the judgement from the full bench is out of tune with what actually happened.  We will appeal this to the High Court”.


Gustaf Kawer, another senior member of the legal team, also told West Papua Media via SMS that “the judges considered ambiguous and inconsistent testimony.  (Yet) there is evidence of free expression and democracy that was ruled,” Kawar said, referring to the democratic rights and obligations adhered to by the Congress leaders.


A massive show of military hardware has caused major fear on the streets of Jayapura, with most poeple staying away from demonstrations for fear of an imminent military crackdown.  600 Heavily armed Brimob riot police and 300 Indonesian army soldiers are surrounding the streets around the court, backed up by several water cannon, 13 Barracuda armoured vehicles, and seven Army Panzers (assault vehicles).


Security forces today have, according to local civil resistance sources, used this show of force to actively prevent supporters of the accused to attend court.


The atmosphere has been described as highly tense with Papuan supporters of the convicted men outraged, but terrified, according to SMS messages from sources on the ground.


westpapuamedia


This is a developing situation – please stay tuned.


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