Franciscans International
Mr. Maina Kiai
UN Special Rapporteur the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of association
Mr. David Kaye
UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection
of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights –
Palais Wilson
United Nations Office at Geneva
CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
19 April, 2016
Urgent Appeal
Dear Mr. Kiai and Mr Kaye
Indonesia: The
arbitrary arrest of West Papua activists
Franciscans
International would like to submit an urgent appeal case regarding the two
recent arbitrary arrests of West Papuan activists (there were also other
arrests but we are still collecting the information). The first arrest was April
12th in Yakuhimo which allegedly was committed the Yakuhimo Sector
Police were five indigenous Papuans were arrested. The second incident was on 13th,
2016, in Merauke, Papua Provinces of Indonesia allegedly committed by members
of the Indonesian Police Force of Merauke Unit. 14 person who were arrested in Merauke are
members the West Papua National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat – KNPB)
and People’s Regional Parliament (Parlemen
Rakyat Daerah - PRD) of Merauke Regency.
Chronology of the incidents
Incident 1:
Date : April
12th, 2016
Location: Dekai junction, Yakuhimo Regency, Papua
Province
Alleged perpetrators
Members of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) of Indonesian
Police Force and Police officers from Yakuhimo district who came with two
police vehicles.
Victims of the arrest:
- Mr. Yupi
Sobolim (23 y.o),
- Mr. Unyil Kobak (24 y.o,),
- Mr. Erson Suhun, (age unknown)
- Mr. Natu Dapla, (age unknown)
We
still do not get the name of the fifth person nor the age. We also received information that two minors two
minors Mr. Joshua Sobolim (8 y.o) and Anderson Suhun (12 y.o) also were
initially taken to the police vehicles but were removed before being taken to
the Police station.
Details
On 12 April 2016, from 8 o’clock in the morning,
around 10 West Papua activists who support KNPB distributed leaflets in the
intersection of the hill in Dekai, Yakuhimo town. The leaflet was an invitation
to attend a demonstration organised by KNPB to support the effort of United
Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to be a full member of the
Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). Around noon, local time, when they took a
break for meal, two cars belonging to the Mobile Brigade of the Indonesian
Police from the Yakuhimo district came, with members of Brimob and police
officers. They took the gun and pointed to the members of KNPB and shouted to
them to stay and not two run.
Shockingly, three activists succeeded to escape and run to the forest,
while five others were arrested and taken into the Brimob vehicles. Two minors
who were in the place of the incidents were also taken to the vehicles. However, the KNPB activists told the police
to release the minors since they were not involved in the distribution of the
leaflets.
The police confiscated one KNPB flag, 7 motorcycles,
and 3 million Indonesian Rupiah who was donated by passer-by who supported the
initiative. The five members of the KNPB were taken to the Police Station in
Yakuhimo. There is an allegation of torture against the activists, where they
were forced by the police to do push-up as punishment, their heads and face
were beaten with weapons, they were bleeding, they were forced to sing the
Indonesian anthem, and forced to stay under the sun for several hours. At the end, they were released.
Incident 2:
Date : April
13th, 2016
Location: Office
of People’s Regional Parliament (PRD) of Merauke Regency and Secretariat of
KNPB, Merauke City, Papua Province
Alleged perpetrators
Members of the Indonesian Police Force from Merauke
Unit lead by Police Commander Marten Kuagow with estimated of 100 members of
Indonesian Police Force.
Victims of the arrest:
1.
Hon. Ms.
Panggrasia Yeem MP (Chairperson of PRD)
2. Hon. Mr. Petrus Katem MP (General Secretary of PRD)
3. Hon. Mr. Idelfonsius Katop MP (1st Secretary of PRD)
4. Hon. Mr. Yohakim Gebze MP (Chairperson of PRD Makleuw)
5. Mr. Gento Emerikus Dop (Chairperson of KNPB Ha-Anim)
6. Mr. Charles Sraun (Chair KNPB Ha-Anim)
7.
Mr. Emilianus Nemop (Treasurer,
KNPB Wil. Ha-Anim)
8. Mr. Rikardo Pisakai (Chair of Political Division, KNPB
Ha-Anim)
9. Mr. Oktovianus Warip (Member, KNPB)
10. Mr. Petrus P. Koweng (Member, KNPB)
11. Mr. Lukas Arawok (Member, KNPB)
12. Mr. Simon Taulemi (Member, KNPB)
13. Mr. Paustinus K. Metemko (Member, KNPB)
14. Mr. Moses Pasim (Member, KNPB)
Details
In
the morning of 13 April 2016, at 08:00 local time, a team of Indonesian Police Force
from the District of Merauke lead by Pollice Commander Mr. Marten Kuagow came to the Office of Parliament of People of Merauke Regency
(PRD) and Secretariat of West Papua National Committee
(KNPB) with an estimated of 100 police members. They came fully armed as well
as with two specific police vehicles meant to control demonstration, despite
the fact that there was no demonstration.
Several members of the KNPB and members of PRD were in
the secretariat. The police entered the room and confiscated several equipment
including six motorcycles, one computer hard disc, two loud speakers, one hand
phone, one donation box, one white board, one box Referendum’s stimulation and
several posters, 14 persons were arrested and brought to Merauke police station
for further interrogation.
We received a report that there was no torture case during
the interrogation. The 14 persons were then released and the confiscated
equipment were returned back to the office of KNPB.
Background
The KNPB is a West Papua movement which is pushing for
a referendum on Papua’s political status, and is seen as primarily non-violent,
comprising mostly youth and students. In the last four years, until the end of
2014, more than 40 KNPB members have been assassinated. Eight have allegedly
been killed in 2014 only by Indonesia Security Forces, either by members of the
Indonesian Police Force or the Indonesian Army.
KNPB openly supports the work of the ULMWP with the
MSG, a group of Melanesian States in South Pacific. In 2015, ULMWP was accepted
as an Observer of MSG despite the opposition of the Government of Indonesia.
Indonesia is an Associate member of MSG.
After the acceptance of ULMWP within MSG, several
civil society groups in West Papua, including KNPB, have been very active in
promoting the work of ULWMP. However, there Government of Indonesia strongly
oppose it. Several demonstrations held by KNPB in different cities and towns
were responded by reprisals by the Indonesian Police Force. The last incident took place on February 15,
2016 in Wamena, the highland in West Papua, where several people were briefly
arrested and interrogated after a blessing ceremony of a traditional house
which was also meant as the office of ULMWP. The organizer of the event was
accused of organizing a meeting of treason (makar)
which is penalized according to the Indonesian Penal Code.
In April 2016, KNPB mobilized its members to
participate in demonstrations across Papua to support the candidacy of ULMWP to
be a full member of MSG instead of observer. The demonstration took place on 13
April 2016 in different places involving the estimated of 5’000 people.
On 15 April 2016, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH
Jakarta) released made a press statement[1] condemning the reprisal against the members of KNPB.
Within 9 days prior to the demonstration of 13 April 2016, the Indonesian
security forces arrested at least 61 Papua activists, including 15 activists in Timika on 5 April 2016, 5 activists in Yahukimo and 15 activists in
Kaimana on 12 April 2016; 14 activists in Merauke, 3 activists in Sorong and 11
activists in Jayapura on 13 April 2016. As 15 April 2016, most of them were released
except 2 who were still under arrest in Timika.
Recommendation:
- We
urge you to send a communication to the Government of Indonesia to conduct
impartial investigation on the cases of arbitrary arrest in Yakuhimo and Merauke,
as well as in several other places in Papua.
- To
guarantee the right of freedom of expression and freedom of association
and assembly for all Papuans.
- To
open access to Papua for the international community.
- To
decide the dates of the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of
Expression, as it was agreed, and to allow open access to Papua.
Thank you for your kind
attention.
Submitted by and for further information:
1.
Franciscans
International
Contact person: Mr. Budi Tjahjono
Address: 37-39, rue de Vermont, PO BOX 104, 1211
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 779 40 10
Email: b.tjahjono@fiop.org
2. Justice Peace and
Integrity of Creation
Contact: Fr Anselmo Amo MSC, Director of JPIC of the Catholic
Diocese of Merauke
Jalan Raya Mandala No.30,
Kec. Merauke, Papua Province, Indonesia
Tel: +62 971 321011
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