News on the human rights and conflict situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Greenpeace Indonesia has called upon the Provincial Governments in West Papua to commit to a low-carbon development plan in order to preserve natural forests sustainably in the region.
A case of corruption and misconduct involving prosecutors and administrative officers at the Manokwari District Attorney’s Office in the Papua Barat Province showcases persistent shortcomings in the Indonesian justice system. The incident came to light through a video that went viral on social media platforms.
A second military trial against two of the four perpetrators of the extra-judicial execution of Mr Eden Bebari and Mr Ronny Wandik in the Mimika Regency in April 2020 is currently taking place at the Military Oditur III-13 Denpasar. The trial against the other two perpetrators ended in July 2023 with a guilty verdict and sentences of six and seven years. The defendants in the second trial, Sergeant Vicente De Oliviara and Private Bahari Muhrim, both members of the Yonif Raider 900/SBW Unit, face charges related to murder and the use of violence resulting in death.
The Cooperation Team for the Prevention of Torture (KuPP) recently visited eight places of detention in West Papua, focusing on structural improvements and efforts to prevent torture.
A year after the tragic murder and mutilation of four Papuan civilians from the Nduga District in Timika. The victims’ relatives commemorated the event in prayer and released a press statement.
Human rights observers have expressed concerns regarding a series of security force raids in the Gome District, Puncak Regency, on 15 August 2023.
On 1 August 2023, the Intan Jaya district government officially opened flights in order to return people from Intan Jaya who fled to Nabire, Paniai and Timika away from the armed conflict between the Indonesian military and the TPNPB, which has been ongoing since December 2019.
The work of Mr Aleks Waine, a Papuan journalist who is also the coordinator of the Dogiyai Journalists Association (AWD), to cover the working visit of the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) in Dogiyai district, Central Papua Province, on 20 July 2023 was blocked by members of the Dogiyai Regional Police.
On 8 August 2023, the Jayapura District Court found the three students, Mr Yoseph Ernesto Matuan, Mr Devio Tekege, and Mr Ambrosius Fransiskus Elopere, guilty of treason.
At least 37 supporters of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) were reportedly arrested and 16 tortured in relation to peaceful demonstrations held in the towns Sentani, Jayapura Regency, and Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, on 14 and 15 August 2023
Human Rights Monitor’s latest 49-page report delves deep into Indonesian forces’ systematic attacks on indigenous West Papua villages, highlighting potential crimes against humanity. Satellite imagery reveals 206 destroyed buildings and the displacement of over 2,000 indigenous Ngalum locals. With international attention urgently needed, the report questions Indonesia’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
On 5 July 2023, two months after judges at the Jayapura District Court sentenced Papuan activist and human rights defender Victor Yeimo to eight months imprisonment for other charges but not for treason, a panel of judges of the Jayapura High Court in its appeal decision, stated that Mr Yeimo was proven to have committed treason and sentenced him to one year in prison.
A military member allegedly killed twenty-six-year-old Mr Markus Kamisopa in the town of Timika, Papua Tengah Province, on 2 August 2023.
Recent military tribunals related to the enforced disappearance and execution of indigenous Papuans in the regencies Intan Jaya and Mimika illustrate the pressing issue of accountability and impunity in West Papua. The failure to detain defendants and the leniency of sentences in cases of violence against civilians perpetuate a climate of impunity.
A series of alarming events unfolded in the Dogiyai Regency, Papua Tengah Province, on 13 July 2023. the incidents unveiled a disturbing pattern of unlawful shootings and outbreaks of horizontal violence.
Members of the Yahukimo District police arbitrarily arrested six activists belonging to the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in the town of Dekai on 6 July 2023.
The Legal Aid Agency Talenta Keadilan Papua has filed a complaint regarding the killing and mutilation of Mrs Tarina Murib in the Yugumuak District, Puncak Regency, on 3 March 2023 to the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission.
On 4 July 2023, UN Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, (see photo on top, source: screenshot) in her opening remarks during the 22nd Meeting, 53rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, expressed concerns regarding the human rights situation in the easternmost provinces in Indonesia.
On 5 May 2023, Five Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council wrote to the Indonesian government regarding cases of violence including extrajudicial killings in West Papua. We …
Five UN Special Procedures raise killings of indigenous Papuans Read More »
The planned revision of the Indonesian Law No 34/2004 on the military (TNI) has sparked debate and concerns among Indonesian civil society. The revision of the law is part of the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) from 2019 to 2024.
