From: Justitia et Pax and Pro Papua
To: Europ. Parliament; Heidi Hautala, Dennis de Jong, Thijs Berman and Anamaria Gomez
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 10:26 AM
Subject: Torture videos Papua, Indonesia
For the second time in recent month’s video footage of torture by Indonesian security forces targeting Papuans has revealed acts of torture and ill treatment by Indonesian security forces towards the native population of Papua.
The latest torture videos, which were released by the Asian Human Rights Commission<http://www.humanrights.asia/campaigns/end-violence-in-west-papua>, clearly depict Indonesian security forces applying a burning ember to one man's genitals and suffocating him while a second man had a knife held to his throat and face. This video footage follows footage this summer of a Papuan who was knifed while in custody. That video showed his agonizing final minutes during which he was taunted by the Indonesian security forces who dealt him his fatal wound.
Within days of the video's release a massive cyber attack took down the Asian Human Rights Commission’s website and many of the other websites which had posted the torture video footage. AHRC’s Executive Director, Mr. Wong Kai Shing, notes that “while it is impossible for us to identify the source of these attacks on our websites, as the attackers have taken measures to conceal their identities, we have serious concerns that the Indonesian authorities may have some role in this.
The October 23 Jakarta Post<http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/23/sby-orders-thorough-probe-papua-torture-video.html> reports that Djoko Suyanto, Coordinating minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said that "the perpetrators are indeed military soldiers." In response to calls from the U.S. and other governments, the Yudhoyono administration has launched an investigation into the incident, though it has apparently ignored calls from Indonesian and international NGOs (such as Imparsial and Amnesty International<http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/indonesian-authorities-urged-investigate-papua-torture-video-2010-10-19>) to include the Indonesian National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas Ham) in that investigation.
Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro stated that the perpetrators would be brought before a military tribunal. Indonesian human rights organisations have expressed concerns that this will only be a showcase in the light of US president Obama’s upcoming visit to Indonesia. Military tribunals routinely mete out light sentences for security force crimes committed against civilians.
Indonesia and the EU started a human rights dialogue this year. I hope you see opportunity to raise this issue within the European Parliament. If you need further information or suggestions for written questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Justice and Peace Netherlands Foundation Pro Papua
0031 70 313 68 00 www.propapua.nl
www.justitiaetpax.nl<http://www.justitiaetpax.nl/>
www.faithbasednetworkonwestpapua.org