News on the human rights and conflict situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
On 14 November 2022, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) published in a press release the success of a joint humanitarian pause in certain areas of Papua. One …
West Papua: Humanitarian pause not implemented after three months Read More »
On 24 January 2023, the panel of judges found Major (Inf) Helmanto Fransiskus Dakhi guilty and sentenced him to lifelong imprisonment.
On 18 January 2023, joint security forces carried out raids in the Maybrat Regency, Papua Barat Province, and arrested Mr Aberham Fatem in the Aisa Village.
Unknown perpetrators have placed a bomb directly in front of a house in Jayapura, Papua Province, owned by Papuan journalist Mr Victor Mambor on 23 January 2023.
Two separate trials against six Indonesian army members responsible for killing of four indigenous Papuans in the town of Timika, Papua Tengah Province, on 22 August 2022 continue
The trial against human rights activist and international spokesperson of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), Mr Victor Yeimo, was continued on 12 January 2023.
On 9 November 2022, Indonesia was reviewed for a fourth time by the UN Human Rights Council’s (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a review in which the members of the Human Rights Council discuss the overall human rights situation in Indonesia, including in West Papua. During the three hours session in Geneva, Indonesia presented its human rights record from the state’s perspective after it had submitted its national report for this review.
The arrest of Papuan Governor, Lukas Enembe, on 10 January 2023 was accompanied by civil unrest in Jayapura, Papua Province. Police officers dispersed the crowd with firearms and teargas. One protester, Mr Ameleki Enumbi, was shot dead. Nine others were reportedly injured.
Some local governments allegedly obstructed the political expression of presidential candidate Anis Baswedan. They made it difficult for Anis Baswedan to conduct political activities in areas such as West Java, Riau and Aceh, such as making it difficult, revoking permits that had been issued. The reasons for the revocation of permits vary, but Anies Baswedan’s volunteers said they caught an attempt to hamper Anies’ movement in the regions.
As of December 2022, the government of Indonesia ignores the presence of more than 60,000 estimated internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the regencies Nduga, Puncak, Intan Jaya, Maybrat, Pegunungan Bintang and Yahukimo
The Indonesian office of the environmental organisation Greenpeace together with the Institute for Development and Finance (INDEF), launched a new report on deforestation in West Papua.
Police officers arrested ten protesters participating in peaceful commemorations of the 1st December in the cities Sorong, Papua Barat Province, and Ternate, Maluku Utara Province.
The 2022 commemorations of the Hmuan Righs Day in Jayapura, Sentani, and Wamena were accompanied by mass arrests and ill-treatments against protesters.
On 8 December 2022, two intoxicated police officers reportedly tortured three political detainees during detention at the Jayapura police headquarters
Two major developments with a significant effect on the human rights situation in West Papua throughout 2022 were, firstly, Jakarta’s plans to amend the Papuan special autonomy law and establish new provinces in West Papua. This has caused widespread rejection among indigenous Papuans. In July 2021, the central government unilaterally amended the Papuan Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law without the participation of the Papuan Peoples Assembly (MRP) and the provincial government. Secondly, the ongoing armed conflict in West Papua causes a climate of persistent violence, particularly in the conflict areas. Papuan human rights defenders kept reporting cases of torture, extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances – many of such cases are directly related to armed conflict.
A military trial against five members of the Brigif R20/IJK/3 Timika Military Command has been launched at the III-19 Military Court in Jayapura on 12 December 2022.
In 2022, the Jokowi administration took initiative to address past human rights violations, these efforts were poorly planned, monitored, and implemented. Both the trial of the 2014 Panai Case and the presidential decree for the non-judicial settlement of past serious human rights violations gave the impression that the government wants to burnish its human rights image among the international community instead of making a serious effort to establish justice and eradicate impunity.
Police officers arrested twelve indigenous Papuans in the town of Kaimana, Kaimana Regency, on 27 November 2022. Also in Manokwari fifteen protesters were arrested and taken into custody.
On 16 November 2022., Papuan students in Jayapura and Denpasar were attacked while peacefully protesting against the G20 summit in Bali 2022
On 4 June 2022, a military member shot dead 16-year-old civilian, Rafael Ivan Balaweling in the Prafi District of Manokwari Regency, Papua Barat Province. The shooting occurred during a wedding ceremony in the Aimasi village. According to the military spokesperson, General Tatang Subarna, the shooting was triggered by an argument between Staff Sergeant AFTJ and Rafael Ivan Balaweling. A military tribunal in Manokwari later found Staff Seargeant AFTJ guilty. He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with the recommendation to dishonourably dismiss the perpetrator from military service.
