In late June 2024, Ms Tineke Rumkabu participated in the 53rd session of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) in London via Zoom. During this session, she testified about state violence in West Papua during the New Order period and the situation of internally displaced people. Following her testimony, she and her family experienced a series of acts of intimidation. Ms Rumkabu understood the repeated visits by police officers as an attempt to prevent her from advocating for justice and human rights.
On 6 July 2024, on the anniversary of the 1998 Biak Massacre, Ms Rumkabu participated in an assembly commemorating the event at the water tower near Biak’s harbour, where the massacre took place 26 years ago. She and other activists faced intimidation from the police, who claimed there was no notification for the assembly. During the incident, police officers also challenged the validity of allegations about the killings, leading to a confrontation where Ms Rumkabu demanded the whereabouts of the victims’ bodies. Following the dispute, Ms Rumkabu and the other activists decided to disperse the assembly and leave the water tower.
Starting from 7 July 2024, following the commemoration, the harassment intensified. Plainclothes police and military personnel visited Ms Rumkabu at her home in Dafuar village, sometimes parking cars outside and making suspicious phone calls. On one occasion, they coerced her into accompanying them to the office of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GMKI) under pretences, only to find the office empty. Due to the escalating threats, Ms Rumkabu sought refuge in Jayapura and Sorong for a month before returning home in early August 2024.
On 4 August 2024, after returning to Biak the intimidation resumed. Two police intelligence officers visited her home under the pretext of offering her a position in the special autonomy parliament. They questioned her about her status as a victim of human rights violations. However, Ms Rumkabu refused to answer their questions.
On 11 August 2024, the intimidation continued with anonymous text messages and phone calls from an unknown number. Cars persistently parked outside Ms Ramkabu’s house, perpetuating a climate of fear and insecurity.
Background
Ms Rumkabu is not the only human rights defender who faced acts of intimidation and harassment after raising concerns about the human rights situation in West Papua in international fora. Indigenous Papuan human rights defender, Ms Lamiberti Faan, experienced a series of harassment and intimidation after delivering a statement at the 8th meeting during the 56th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 21 June 2024. Considering that Ms Faan and her two children have sought protection in Jayapura since the acts of intimidation intensified, we kindly ask you to address the patterns of intimidation against Ms Faan and her relatives as a matter of urgency.
We would also like to draw your attention to an armed attack against indigenous Papuan Lawyer and human rights advocate, Mr Yan Christian Warinussy in the town of Manokwari, Papua Barat Province, on 17 July 2024. The incident occurred shortly after Mr Warinussy spoke about the human rights situation in West Papua at the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) in London in late June 2024
