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1) Human Rights Watch urges authorities to free Papuan activists on trial for 2019 protests
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the authorities to drop all charges and release seven Papuan activists and students accused of treason for their involvement in antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua, in August 2019.
HRW said in a statement on Thursday that the #BlackLivesMatter protests in the United States in recent years “have reverberated in Indonesia as Melanesian people, including ethnic Papuans and Moluccans, face racial discrimination from Indonesian authorities”.
“Papuan and Moluccan opposition to Indonesian rule and oppressive Indonesian military and police actions has often been met with further abuses,” the statement said. “Prosecutors should release these Papuan activists, who have suffered enough by being jailed for months far from home for peaceful acts of free expression.”
HRW Asia director Brad Adams argued that the Indonesian police had created a revolving door by arresting Papuan activists for peaceful protests and this needed to stop.
Read also: ‘#PapuanLivesMatter’: George Floyd’s death hits close to home in Indonesia
“Indonesian authorities should recognize that given the global attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, sending peaceful activists to prison will only bring more international attention to human rights concerns in Papua," Adams is quoted as saying in the statement.
The statement comes as judges in a Balikpapan court in East Kalimantan are scheduled to issue verdicts in three separate trials of the seven activists this week. Last week, prosecutors at the Balikpapan district court demanded five to 17 years’ imprisonment for the defendants.
Police arrested the seven defendants, namely Buchtar Tabuni, Agus Kossay, Stevanus Itlay, Ferry Gombo, Alexander Gobai, Irwanus Uropmabin and Hengki Hilapok, in Jayapura in September. In October, the authorities transferred them more than 3,000 kilometers away to be tried in Balikpapan for “security reasons.”
The seven activists had been involved in massive antiracism protests in Jayapura that came in response to an incident where Papuan university students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, were subjected to physical and verbal attacks by security personnel and members of mass organizations, who accused the students of refusing to celebrate Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day.
Read also: Lampung university students face intimidation over discussion on discrimination against Papuans
Security personnel reportedly banged on the dormitory’s door while shouting insults referring to the students as monkeys, pigs and dogs.
The death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the US, and the ensuing global outcry has sparked renewed public discourse about racism against Papuans in Indonesia.
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https://en.tempo.co/read/1352286/discussion-about-papua-racial-issues-faced-with-threats
2) Discussion about Papua, Racial Issues Faced with Threats
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - University of Lampung (Unila) students’ community Teknokra had reportedly been terrorized by an unknown source after the community planned to hold a discussion about racial discrimination against people with Papuan descent.
The terror was aimed at two Teknokra members who received threatening Whatsapp messages had their online motorcycle driver app hacked. “Yes there was terror up to receiving threats,” said Teknokra chairperson Chairul Rahman Arif on Wednesday, June 10.
According to Chairul, the threats aimed at him also mentioned the address and identities of both his parents and accused Teknokra of being provocative by planning to hold a discussion about Papua. The threat is as follows:
“What do you plan to gain by holding a provocative discussion. We already have your records,” citing the threatening text message Chairul received.
Meanwhile, one of the discussion’s moderators, Mitha Setiani Asih, found out that the personal 'online ojek' account had been hacked which led to Chairul’s house being visited by food delivery men, sending food that Chairul did not order.
The discussion on Papua was scheduled to be held virtually today, Thursday, June 11, by inviting a number of key speakers such as Indonesians for West Papua spokesperson, Surya Anta Giting; Papuan Students Association, Jhon Ghobai; and Journalist Association for Diversity (SEJUK), Tantowi Anwar.
In his defense, Chairul said that the discussion was initially meant to provide alternative perspectives on the racial issues that are currently taking global attention. He argues that racial issues do exist in Indonesia, which is represented by the Papuan people.
TAUFIQ SIDDIQ
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3) Lampung university students face intimidation over discussion on discrimination against Papuans
Members of the University of Lampung (Unila) student press Teknokra have received anonymous threats in relation to the organization’s plan to hold a public discussion on racial discrimination against Papuans.
The online discussion was planned to be held on Thursday with three speakers scheduled to talk: Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-West Papua) spokesperson Surya Anta Ginting, Papuan Students Alliance head Jhon Gobai and Journalist Association for Diversity (SEJUK) program manager Tantowi Anwari.
On Wednesday, two members of Teknokra received threats from unknown people, who questioned their intentions for holding the discussion.
Teknokra chairman Chairul Rahman Arif said an anonymous person had sent him WhatsApp messages containing the identity and address of his parents as well as a photo of his identity card.
“What is the goal of holding a discussion that provokes many people. We have your [personal] data,” the message read, according to Chairul, as quoted by tempo.co.
Read also: Intimidation of government critics raises concerns about freedom of speech
Teknokra editor-in-chief Mitha Setiani, who was to moderate the discussion, also received threats.
She said her Gojek account had been hacked and used to make several GoFood orders.
On the same day, Unila’s vice rector for academic and student affairs Yulianto told Chairul to postpone the discussion.
Teknokra later reported on its website that Yulianto had told the student press chairman that he had received a call from people claiming to be representatives of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) regarding the discussion.
Chairul said the discussion was held to raise awareness of racial discrimination in Indonesia. “The country’s motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [Unity in Diversity]. We should bring up such awareness through this open discussion, so we can respect each other,” he said.
Read also: ‘#PapuanLivesMatter’: George Floyd’s death hits close to home in Indonesia
Previously, the University of Indonesia disavowed a public discussion held by the university’s Student Executive Body (BEM UI) about racism against Papuans in the legal system, saying the discussion did not reflect the views and attitudes of UI as an institution. The university's Lecturers Alliance, however, conveyed its support for the discussion, lauding it for it fostering a spirit of free speech among university academics.
The issue of racial discrimination against Papuans resurfaced recently following the demands of prosecutors of the Balikpapan district court in East Kalimantan to sentence seven Papuans to five to 17 years’ imprisonment for treason over their involvement in antiracism protests in Jayapura in August last year. (trn)
The #BlackLivesMatter protests in the United States in recent years have reverberated in Indonesia as Melanesian people, including ethnic Papuans and Moluccans, face racial discrimination from Indonesian authorities. Papuan and Moluccan opposition to Indonesian rule and oppressive Indonesian military and police actions has often been met with further abuses.
“Indonesia had its own version of Black Lives Matter protests last year, and police outrageously charged and detained those seen as organizing the protests,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Prosecutors should release these Papuan activists, who have suffered enough by being jailed for months far from home for peaceful acts of free expression.”
For decades, Indonesia’s government has discriminated against the dark-skinned Indigenous people of Melanesian origin in the resource-rich and isolated provinces of Papua and West Papua, which Indonesia took over in 1969.
In August 2019, Papuans took part in protests across at least 30 cities in Indonesia in response to a racist attack by Indonesian militants and army officers on a West Papuan student dorm in Surabaya on August 17. Videos showed some Indonesian soldiers repeatedly banging on the dormitory’s gate while shouting words such as “monkeys” and “pork eaters” (eating pork is an insult in this predominantly Muslim country but ethnic Papuans, predominantly Christians, eat pork with various recipes including the Melanesian-styled stone burning method). Police shot teargas into the dormitory and arrested dozens of Papuan students.
Videos of the attack circulated widely and triggered protests. There was also some looting and arson attacks in Jayapura, Manokwari, Sorong, and Wamena. Those riots prompted the police to arrest, not those committing violence, but at least 43 Papuan protest leaders and activists.
Police arrested the seven defendants in Jayapura, Papua, in September. In October, the authorities transferred them more than 3,000 kilometers away to be tried in Balikpapan for “security reasons.” Prosecutors are seeking between 5 and 17 years in prison for each of the defendants.
The defendants are: Buchtar Tabuni, a leader of the pro-Papuan independence group United Liberation Movement for West Papua (prosecutors are seeking a 17-year prison term); Agus Kossay and Stevanus Itlay from the National Committee of West Papua (Komite Nasional Papua Barat) (15 years); Ferry Gombo, Cenderawasih University student union head, and Alexander Gobai, Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) student union head (10 years); and Irwanus Uropmabin and Hengki Hilapok, USTJ students (5 years), who were helping Gobai to rent a truck and sound system for the protest.
Many Indonesians have criticized the Attorney General’s Office for prosecuting the Balikpapan Seven. More than 150 Papuan politicians, civic leaders, and religious clerics, including members of parliament and the senate, have signed a petition asking President Joko Widodo to drop the charges against them. Papuan Catholic priests from the six regions in Papua and West Papua also issued a joint statement, calling the arrests and trial a “travesty of justice.” Many Indonesian human rights groups and student unions across the country also criticized the government. Some student bodies organized webinars over the Balikpapan trial and racism against ethnic Papuans.
Human Rights Watch has been documenting cases of political prisoners in Indonesia, including Papua, since the 1980s. Kombo is the president of the student union in Cendrawasih University, Papua’s oldest and largest public university. Gobai is the president of the student union at Papua’s most prestigious engineering school.
Human Rights Watch profiled Tabuni in 2010 when he was imprisoned in Jayapura for “treason” for three years, from 2008 to 2011. The police arrested Tabuni two days after he helped organize a peaceful independence gathering on December 1, 2008. He became politically active when a relative was killed while taking part in a peaceful rally celebrating United Nations Indigenous People’s Day on August 9, 2008, in Wamena.
“Indonesian police have created a revolving door by arresting Papuan activists like Buchtar Tabuni for peaceful protests that needs to stop,” Adams said. “Indonesian authorities should recognize that given the global attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, sending peaceful activists to prison will only bring more international attention to human rights concerns in Papua.”
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