Human rights defender Emanuel Gobay wants the top hierarchy of the Catholic Church to back priests and church advocacy groups who dare to speak out for the dignity and rights of Papuans.
“Those voices will have strong echoes if they are supported by a larger institution such as a bishops’ conference or perhaps the Holy Father in the Vatican,” he says.
“In the Bible, there is a passage which says Jesus was sent to ‘liberate the oppressed.’ From the Papua context, the people Jesus called the oppressed were us, the Papuans.”
The 35-year-old Catholic human rights lawyer believes he is carrying out his “prophetic duties” through his activism but admits to his constant struggle with that one question — how to fight for the dignity of Papuans?
Since officially joining Indonesia in 1969, Papua continues to be plagued by conflict with pro-independence armed groups keeping up the resistance.
The Indonesian government has a heavy security presence in the easternmost region, ostensibly to maintain security.
But in reality, shocking abuses have been taking place against indigenous Papuans as noted by UN-appointed rights experts in a statement on March 1 that cited child killings, disappearances, torture and enforced mass displacement.
“Between April and November 2021, we have received allegations indicating several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment, and the forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by security forces,” the independent experts said.
“We cannot handle all cases, but at least those that reach us are not overlooked,” he says.
Gobay was born at Wamena in Jayawijaya district and moved to Paniai district while in junior high school.
“When I was a child, I often witnessed people in my village being beaten arbitrarily by police and military,” he recalls.
“I just thought that I should not be treated arbitrarily and should also help others. I found that by studying law I could argue with security officers,” he says.
His intent got stronger when four students were shot dead and 20 left injured at a demonstration in his village Paniai in 2014. Gobay said one of the dead was a family member who had visited his home before being shot.
The investigations conducted by the National Human Rights Commission proved the soldiers had committed a gross violation of human rights, but the case was stalled and the perpetrators remain at large.
Gobay joined the Legal Aid Institute in Yogyakarta where he began assisting Papuan students and activists who were arrested and charged with treason for participating in protests. He also helped marginalized groups such as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.
The opportunity to get further involved with rights issues in Papua came in November 2018 when he was asked to move to Papua. Gobay was assigned higher responsibilities as director of Papua Legal Aid Institute in March 2019.
Since then, he has got involved in advocating various cases, including those of the displaced since the escalation of violence in December 2018. UN estimates put the overall number of displaced at between 60,000 to 100,000 people.
He has also been helping people fight land grab operations by plantation companies.
One of the high-profile cases is the ongoing trial of Victor Yeimo, the international spokesman for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), who is accused of being the mastermind of riots in several cities in Papua in September 2019.
The riots were sparked by an incident in Surabaya, East Java province, where a group of Papuan students were reportedly called monkeys, dogs and pigs after allegedly vandalizing the Indonesian flag.
2) Police arrest 90 at rally in Jakarta against plan to ‘carve up’ Papua
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk By APR editor - March 15, 2022
Indonesian police have arrested a total of 90 Papuan students during a protest action near the Presidential Palace complex in Central Jakarta which ended in chaos with allegations of assaults on six protesters.
The demonstration by the Papuan students last Friday was to oppose the creation of new provinces in Papua.
“A total of 90 people”, said Metro Jaya regional police public relations division head Senior Commissioner E Zulpan when sought for confirmation on the arrests.
- READ MORE: Police break up protests in Jayapura over new Papuan provinces plan
- Other West Papua reports
After being arrested, the students were taken to the Metro Jaya regional police headquarters.
Zulpan said that they would be returned home after being questioned.
“They will be returned home after being identified and questioned,” said Zulpan.
The protest, which ended in chaos, resulted in Central Jakarta district police intelligence unit head Assistant Superintendent Ferikson Tampubolon suffering head injuries after being allegedly assaulted by the protesters.
In addition to this, a number of other police officers were injured.
The demonstrators claimed that five protesters suffered injuries during the clash with police. One of them, a women, was knocked unconscious.
Zulpan however denied that police assaulted any of the demonstrators.
“There were no police officers who assaulted the demonstrators,” said Zulpan.
Advocacy Team slams police violence
The Papua Advocacy Team has called on the Metro Jaya police chief to punish the police officers who allegedly committed violence against six Papuans during the rally near the Presidential Palace.
One of the Advocacy Team members, Teo Reffelsen, said that if the acts of violence by police were based on an order from a superior officer, then they must also be held responsible.
“Police must legally process police officers who committed the violence against the six Papuans,” said Reffelsen in a written release sent to CNN Indonesia.
“If it was based on an order, then their senior officer must also be held criminally responsible,” he said.
Reffelsen also said that based on information obtained from the participants in the action, one of the six students, Ince, was kicked in the chest by a police officer and fell unconscious.
Another, Bob, suffered scratches to his leg and chest after being kicked. Samuel Purwaro was kicked and dragged into a detention vehicle and suffered injuries to his right eye, and Deris Murib was kicked in the forehead and back of his body.
Daten meanwhile was struck in the head using a motorcycle helmet and a member of Solidarity Indonesia was kicked by police.
Suffered injuries, cracked teeth
“He suffered injuries to his body and cracked teeth. His genitals were grabbed, then his mobile phone. [But] his mobile phone has been returned,” said Reffelsen.
The Papuan students clashed with police near the Presidential Palace when they wanted to move off to the Home Affairs Ministry to protest against the creation of six new provinces in Papua.
Around 30 people claiming to be Papuan students tried to head off to the nearby Home Affairs Ministry on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara via Jalan Veteran near the State Secretariat building in the presidential complex.
There, scores of police officers had already prepared a blockade and the demonstrators were prohibited from going any further. Tough negotiations between the two parties proceeded for up to 30 minutes.
The police continued to refuse to let the demonstrators pass and the two sides began pushing and shoving each other. A short time later the demonstrators broke through the blockade.
Police then chased the students and succeeded in breaking up the demonstration. Several were involved in fist fights.
IndoLeft News notes: A second article by CNN Indonesia later on the same day reported that 89 of those arrested had been returned home. “Yes, they’ve been sent home”, said Zulpan when sought for confirmation. Zulpan said however that one person named Alfius Wenda was still being questioned in relation to the alleged assault on Assistant Superintendent Ferikson Tampubolon.
Translated by James Balowski for IndoLeft News. The original title of the article was Demo Papua Berujung Ricuh di Dekat Istana, Total 90 Orang Ditangkap.
------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.