Monday, November 19, 2012

1) Lawyer calls for 'inventory of all human rights abuses in Papua


1) Lawyer calls for 'inventory of all human rights abuses in Papua
2) Former Komnas HAM member says case against Kogoya 'should not be dramatised'
--------------------------------------------------------
From Tapol
1) Lawyer calls for 'inventory of all human rights abuses in Papua
Bintang Papua, 16 November 2012

The fact that many human rights violations which, according to the indigenous Papuan people, have occurred  but have never been resolved, has drawn a comment from Budi Setyanto, a lawyer who is the director of the Institute for Civil Strengthening.

Describing this as a very serious matter, Setyanto said  this was an extremely serious matter for the central and local governments and it should engage the government's earnest attention while the results should be made public.

What was needed, he said, was an inventory of all the cases that had occurred, those which had been solved through the courts and how they  had been solved, as well as  those that had not been resolved. And regarding those that had been solved, it should be clear which had been solved through the courts and those that had been solved by negotiation.

He said that according to the Papuan people, there were many cases that had never been properly solved.

'This matter needs to be resolved  by the government which should make an inventory of all the cases that have occurred so that the general public is aware of the many cases that have not be resolved.'

In a statement to Bintang Papua, Setyanto said that this would show people just how many human rights violations had occurred.'

He said in addition that producing an inventory of  all the cases would certainly find a response from the general public and a willingness to provide further information to the government, and more specifically to Komnas HAM (the national and well as the local Komnas HAM).

He also said that the Papuan provincial governors and their deputies as well as the provincial administrations should also be drawn into the work, and should set up a special team to draw up a comprehensive list of  all the violations that have occurred. 'This is a matter, he said, 'that needs the full attention of the government and should not be dealt with in a half-hearted way.'

'If these human rights violations are not resolved comprehensively,' he said, 'the general public will consider this as being a very serious matter and will result in this problem triggering many demands from the people.. What is needed,' he said, 'is close collaboration between the government and the institutions responsible for the rule of law, as well as Komnas HAM.' so as to assure people  that these matters are being taken seriously by the government.'

'At present, all we can say is that there have been many human rights abuses in Papua but we need reliable data  about how many violations have  occurred and the category of the abuses so that people can know what human rights restrictions exist, how the abuses have been handled and how they have been resolved.'

Translated by TAPOL]

[COMMENT  We should remember that Komnas HAM has just spent four years doing a similar inventory of the massive human rights abuses perpetrated against alleged PKI members and sympathisers  during the more than thirty years that Suharto was in power.That was a daunting and as yet unfinished task, and to do a similar 'inventory' in West Papua would be equally crucial as well as daunting.]
-----------------------------------------
2) Former Komnas HAM member says case against Kogoya 'should not be dramatised'
Bintang Papua, 17 November 2012

Jayapura: Human rights defender and director of the Papuan Baptist Voice Mathius Murib, has said in a press release that the case of Dany Kogoya should not be dramatised because there are many strange things relating to the case that need to clarified. He also said that Kogoya and his associates should have legal representation.

According to press reports Kogoya is facing the charge that he was involved in the 'Nafri case' when four people were killed. More recently, the attorney-general's office was quoted as saying that he should also face the charge of 'makar' or treason [for which many Papuans are serving lengthy sentences] because during the incident, the Morning Star flag which is seen as a symbol of 'merdeka' had been flown.

Mathius Murib, a former member of Komnas HAM - Papua, (National Human Rights Commission - Papua) said that the motives and prime perpetrators who had given the order (for the killings) have not yet been arrested, bearing in mind that Kogoya has claimed that he had been used by certain elements.

The Nafri incident occurred in August 2011 when  four people were slain, for which Kogoya would now face charges.

[Translated by TAPOL]
-------------------------------------

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.