International Human Rights Day: Churches and human rights organizations from all over the world express their concern about the human rights situation in Papua
In light of the International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2011, church, development and human rights organizations from Europe, Asia and Australia have written an open letter to the
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The organizations express their concern about the ongoing human rights violations in the Indonesian Provinces of Papua and West Papua. In particular, the severe human rights violations committed by the Indonesian security forces against peaceful participants of the “Third Papuan People’s Congress” on 19 October 2011 in Abepura, Jayapura, were alarming, the letter states. Police and military forces dispersed the participants with an excessive use of violence, killing at least three and injuring 96 people.
The organizations criticise that despite Indonesia’s national and international human rights commitments, the office of the Indonesian President publicly turned down the result of the National Human Rights Commissions (Komnas HAM) findings that human rights violations did occur in Abepura.
The Faith-based Network on West Papua (FBN) and the signing organizations request the Indonesian President to guarantee that the perpetrators and their commanders responsible for the human rights violations committed on 19 October 2011 will be held accountable at an Indonesian human rights court.
The organizations welcome Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s statement on 9 November 2011 to engage in a dialogue with Papua in order to find a peaceful solution to the protracted problems in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces. They encourage the Indonesian President to invite a highly respected international mediation institution, which is trusted by both sides to act as a neutral mediator in the upcoming dialogue with Papua.
The letter was signed by the following organizations: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Bread for the World (BfdW), Faith-based Network on West Papua (FBN), Franciscan International (FI), Mensen met een Missie, Misereor, Uniting Church in Australia (UCA), United Evangelical Mission (UEM), Watch Indonesia! and the West Papua Network (WPN).
Please download the complete letter to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at:
http://www.faithbasednetworkonwestpapua.org/userfiles/files/Letter%20to%20SBY_Final.pdf
For more information on the Faith-based Network on West Papua: faithbasednetworkonwestpapua.org or contact us at: