News on West Papua's human rights and conflict situation:
- Right to Health in West Papua - report on UN Special Rapporteur mission to Indonesia published
- Australian Green Party underlines commitment for human rights situation in West Papua
- Military member kills indigenous Papuan in Yapen Island
- GKI-TP Church publishes reports on land rights conflict and unlawful arrests
- Greenpeace investigation reveals involvement of international companies in massive destruction of rainforests in Papua
- Yulianus Yeimo passes away - number of dead victims in the 'Bloody Paniai' Case rises from four to five
- ALRC concerned about extra-judicial executions and ongoing impunity
- Police officers collectively ill-treat man and journalist during political debate in Nabire Regency
- Update on shooting in Mauwa Village - Gerry Goo succumbs to his injuries
Right to Health in West Papua - report on UN Special Rapporteur mission to Indonesia published
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Mr. Dainius Puras, visited Indonesia from the 22 March to the 3 April 2017. The findings of his Indonesia mission have now been published and will be presented during the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which will take place from 18 June to 6 July 2018 in Geneva. In his report, the special rapporteur referred to the condition of health services in West Papua and addressed concerns in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces.Australian Green Party underlines commitment for human rights situation in West Papua
The Australian Green Party organized a national meeting in Brisbane on 19 May 2018. The party had invited several experts on the situation in West Papua to speak about the current situation in West Papua, among them Dr Jacob Rumbiak (ULMWP member), Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronika Koman (see image left) and Jason MacLeod (academic, expert on community development and movement building). The meeting was also attended by the Green Party senators Richard Di Natale and Andrew Barlett.
Military member kills indigenous Papuan in Yapen Island
Local human rights defenders have reported a further extra-judicial killing case from the regency Kepulauan Yapen. A member of the Kodim 1709 Yapen Waropen military unit named Frits Raunsai killed 42-years-old Yohanis Bisai in his house. The incident occurred in Anotaurai Village (Cengkeh Street), in the Yapen Selatan District. On 21 May 2018 around 00.30 am, the perpetrator came to Yohanis Bisai’s house, punched him and subsequently stabbed the victim with his bayonet knife to the forehead, the chest and twice in the back. Yohanis Bisai died due to the severe injuries which he sustained from the knife attack.
GKI-TP Church publishes reports on land rights conflict and unlawful arrests
The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Desk (JPIC) of the Christian Evangelical Church in Papua (GKI-TP) has published two new reports - one about a land rights in Tambrauw Regency and a second report about the unlawful arrests of 14 indigenous Papuans in Jayapura Regency. Both cases already occurred in 2017. The land rights conflict between the plantation company PT. Bintuni Agro Prima Perkasa (PT. BAPP) and the indigenous communities of the Mpur trib already began in 2015, as the company started to establish its plantation with a concession area of area of 19.369 ha on the tribe’s customary land. On 21 November 2017, members of the Jayapura District Police arbitrarily arrest 14 indigenous Papuans who were on their way home to Genyem District. During the detention at the Sub-district police station, the arrestees were accused of being members of the armed separatist movement. The police prevented a lawyer and a local journalist from meeting with the arrestees.Greenpeace investigation reveals involvement of international companies in massive destruction of rainforests in Papua
An investigation by ‘Greenpeace’ has revealed that the companies Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever buy palm oil from a group whose subsidiary is responsible for the illegal destruction of rainforests in Papua. The international companies have published a ‘no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy that should prohibit sourcing from palm oil companies which produce their palmoil in unsustainable ways. Greenpeace published a video and photos, showing massive deforestation in PT Megakarya Jaya Raya, a palm oil concession controlled by the Hayel Saeed Anam Group (HSA). The footage was taken in March and April 2018.
An investigation by ‘Greenpeace’ has revealed that the companies Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever buy palm oil from a group whose subsidiary is responsible for the illegal destruction of rainforests in Papua. The international companies have published a ‘no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy that should prohibit sourcing from palm oil companies which produce their palmoil in unsustainable ways. Greenpeace published a video and photos, showing massive deforestation in PT Megakarya Jaya Raya, a palm oil concession controlled by the Hayel Saeed Anam Group (HSA). The footage was taken in March and April 2018.
Yulianus Yeimo passes away - number of dead victims in the 'Bloody Paniai' Case rises from four to five
Yulianus Yeimo - a victim of torture in the so-called ‘Bloody Paniai Case’ - passed away on 1 April 2018 in Ipakiye Village of Paniai Regency with the age of 19 years. According to the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Desk of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (JPIC KINGMI Papua), Yulianus Yeimo showed signs of internal bleedings which he sustained as a result of torture by members of the Nabire 753 Arpita Military Battalion. After the incident Yulianus Yeimo suffered uncontrolled nose bleedings which usually lasted more than an hour, vomited clotted blood and often fainted without clear reason. The soldiers had severely beaten him with a rifle butt to the head, kicked him with heavy military boots on the chest and cut him with a knife on the head.ALRC concerned about extra-judicial executions and ongoing impunity
The ‘Asian Legal Resource Centre’ (ALRC), a sister organisation to the ‘Asian Human Rights Commission’ (AHRC) has expressed its concern over the situation of extra-judicial and summary executions in Indonesia in a written Submission to the 38th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council. The large majority of perpetrators responsible for past and present extra-judicial executions are not prosecuted. This failure has resulted in a widespread climate of impunity across the country. The ALRC particularly refers to a number of past and recent cases of extra-judicial executions in West Papua. The Abepura case of 2000 has been processed at a national human rights court. However, the court released all the perpetrators because collected evidence was considered as insufficient for a prosecution.Police officers collectively ill-treat man and journalist during political debate in Nabire Regency
Human Rights defenders of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (KINGMI Papua) have reported another case of ill-treatment from Nabire city. Mando Mote, a 29-years-old civil servant from Deiyai regency, was collectively beaten up by police officers as he tried to access the front yard of a guest house in Nabire, where the public election commission (KPU) had organized a political debate between politicians running for candidacy as regent of Deiyai Regency. The Papuan journalist Albert Youw (27 years) was attacked by several police officers in an attempt to prevent him from covering the ill-treatment. Albert Youw recorded the incident with his mobile phone camera.Read more about the case
Update on shooting in Mauwa Village - Gerry Goo succumbs to his injuries
Gerry Goo, an 18 years old villager who was severely injured by bullets during a crowd control operation in early April, passed away yesterday (9 May 2017) in Goodide Village, of Dogiyai Regency. The relatives had brought Gerry Goo back to his home village on 7 May 2018 after doctors of the Dok II Hospital in Jayapura did not surgically remove the projectiles because Gerry’s condition was not stable enough for the surgery. Gerry Goo finally succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the crowd control operation and the subsequent torture at the Kamu sub-district police station. At the time of publication, it is unclear whether the family will request an autopsy of the body.
Update on shooting in Mauwa Village - Gerry Goo succumbs to his injuries
Gerry Goo, an 18 years old villager who was severely injured by bullets during a crowd control operation in early April, passed away yesterday (9 May 2017) in Goodide Village, of Dogiyai Regency. The relatives had brought Gerry Goo back to his home village on 7 May 2018 after doctors of the Dok II Hospital in Jayapura did not surgically remove the projectiles because Gerry’s condition was not stable enough for the surgery. Gerry Goo finally succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the crowd control operation and the subsequent torture at the Kamu sub-district police station. At the time of publication, it is unclear whether the family will request an autopsy of the body.Human Rights Report
More than 40 organisations in West Papua, Jakarta and worldwide have brought their analysis on the human rights and conflict situation in West Papua together. The executive summary of the 218-pages report explains how several human rights standards have deteriorated over the last two years. The report is compiled by the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) and the German Westpapua-Netzwerk (WPN).