2) Occupation of West Papua casts shadow over Indonesia's rise to presidency of UN Human Rights Council
Human rights violations against Indigenous West Papuans on their ancestral territory makes Indonesia's appointment to head the United Nations Human Rights Council a "mockery" of the position, according to a prominent West Papuan independence leader.
Jakarta diplomat Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro is set to assume the Council presidency on behalf of Indonesia courtesy of last week's rotational election ceremony in Geneva.
The criticism from Benny Wenda, the exiled leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, has been scathing.
"Indonesia is totally unfit to hold the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council," he said from the UK.
"How can Indonesia possibly lead on human rights when they are hiding from the world their 60-year occupation of West Papua with 500,000 men, women, and children dead?"
Indonesia annexed the former Dutch New Guinea in 1963 and initially renamed the territory Irian Jaya. The Netherlands government of the day had favoured returning the land to ethnic Melanesian Papuans to govern for themselves.
The USA pushed the UN to support Indonesia's occupation at the time, and the territory's sovereignty has since been highly contested.
"Indonesia holding the presidency of the Human Rights Council in 2026 is akin to an Apartheid South Africa leading it back in 1980," Mr Wenda said.
Independent observers kept out of West Papua
While violations relating to Indonesia's ongoing military operations throughout West Papua have been long canvassed by human rights' defenders, Jakarta still tightly restricts access for foreign media, international humanitarian groups, non-government organisations (NGOs) and even diplomats.
The conflict between Indonesia's military forces against West Papua's pro-independence guerilla resistance movement, according to Mr Wenda, has left more than 100,000 Indigenous West Papuans displaced from their traditional tribal lands.
He said West Papuans have suffered breaches of international law "on a daily basis for the past 63 years", not just in relation to violent conflict but through other violations that ranged from land rights violations to infringements on the right to freedom of speech.
Indonesian military protects companies exploiting West Papua
Indigenous people of the Muyu tribe have been the most recent victims, according to an investigation from the Papua Advocacy Institute.
The Muyu clashed with employees of Korindo, a Korean and Indonesian logging and palm-cutting company, resulting in the death of, at least, one local clansman.
The Indonesian military blamed Papuan guerrillas for the tragedy.
"The recently reported violence in the Korindo operation appears to be a result of long-standing dispute over land rights between Korindo and the local traditional landowners, not only the Muyu tribe but also the Auyu, Mandobo, and Marind tribes from other parts of South-West Papua that were also affected by the operation Korindo," Papua Advocacy Institute spokesperson Matthew Jamieson said in a recent statement.
"Besides, there is a long history of violence by Indonesian security forces in the region.
"Sometimes the Indonesian military and police work to protect Korindo's interests, and other times they launch brutal and reckless military operations against the civilian population and small groups of West Papua guerrilla fighters."
The recent incident is one of several acts of military violence committed against West Papuan people, according to the Papua Advocacy Institute.
"The information we have received indicates that the human rights situation in West Papua is deteriorating rapidly," Mr Jamieson said.
Allegations of torture and assassinations by Indonesian forces
There have been ongoing reports over the past two months that have included the formation of militias in regional centres, torture of Papuan activists by Indonesian security forces, the killing of three civil state officials by Indonesian police in the Star Mountains range, isolated shootings of Papuan citizens by military personnel in West Papuan capital, Jayapura, and cases of grave torture against an Indigenous man by the military.
According to the Jakarta-based Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono the nation is still grappling broadly with issues of human rights, including religious freedoms. He said more scrutiny could improve greater tolerance and recognition among Indonesian officials.
Mr Harsono said there has been some form of recognition in Indonesia of rights' violations in the West Papua territory.
"Indonesia has a very bad human rights record in West Papua. Even in Indonesia, many high-ranking officials and military commanders recognise that," he said.
"But at the same time, I think there are some efforts within Indonesia - including in the military - to be better."
He said that despite this, the conflict in West Papua is intensifying, with the numbers of Indonesian troops being deployed increasing against a growing number of weapons being stockpiled by Papuan militants.
"Indonesia is very good at wishy-washy talk in delaying things"
Mr Harsono also noted a planned visit from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate West Papuan reports of persecution has not gone ahead.
Two years ago, Indonesia's government told the UN resident coordinator in Jakarta to leave immediately over the the global intergovernmental organisation's criticism of human rights in West Papua.
"Indonesia is very good at wishy-washy talk in delaying things," Mr Harsono said. "That is what Indonesian diplomats did over this UN visit to West Papua."
Mr Sidharto has promised to use Indonesia's new position to present a new form of diplomacy, which the UN is hoping will pave the way for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
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