On 30 November 2020, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the UN has issued a statement (text and video) about the ongoing violations relating to protests against the prolongation of the autonomy law, recent killings of church workers, in particular, that of Rev. Zanambani and the ongoing political conflict in West Papua. In the statement the OHCHR also calls for a "platform for meaningful and inclusive dialogue with the people of Papua and West Papua, to address longstanding economic, social and political grievances". That statement comes one day ahead of 1. December, a day of political meaning for indigenous Papuans. OHCHR is now urging "the Government of Indonesia to uphold people's rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in line with its international obligations, particularly ahead of 1 December, when there are often protests, tensions and arrests." Read more

On 4 July 2020, a solidarity group consisting of a few movement organisations and student groups launched a petition (Petisi Rakyat Papua, PRP) against the prolongation of special autonomy funding (Otsus II) for the provinces of Papua and Papua Barat. Meanwhile, 102 organisations have joined the ‘Peoples’ Solidarity for West Papua’. On 26 November 2020, the spokesperson of the solidarity group, Victor Yeimo, published a video message on social media according to which the petition was already signed by 520,261 people in and outside of West Papua. Papuan pro-government groups instantly reacted to the statement with a counter-campaign. Multiple representatives of such groups published videos on social media in which they urged the Chief of the Papuan Regional Police to prosecute Mr Yeimo immediately.

Only three days after security force members allegedly shot dead seventeen-year-old Atanius Murib and injured seventeen-year-old Manus Murib with bullets, three more bodies were found at the Limbaga Mountain, Gome District. The civil servant Akis Alom, 34, and two pupils named Wapenus Tabuni, 17, and twelve-year-old Warius Murib had been missing since 20 November 2020, the same day as security force members opened fire at Manus Murib and Atanius Murib. The three indigenous Papuans were on their way from the Agandugume District to Ilaga, the largest town in the Puncak Regency, where Wapenus and Warius went to school. Relatives assumed that they passed the Limbaga Mountain around 12.00 pm, approximately 60 to 90 minutes after the previous shooting.

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The Papuan musician, Kris Douw, was allegedly tortured by military members at the Kodim Military Complex in the Papuan town of Nabire on 21 November 2020. The posts contain a short narrative and photographs of Kris Douw’s injuries. He sustained multiple bruises in his face and body, including several broken teeth. According to information received, military special force members beat up Kris Douw for writing and publishing a song and a video which promote Papuan political independence and the armed struggle by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB).

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A coalition of NGOs in the Sorong Regency demand local government and law enforcement institutions to investigate allegations of illegal logging which have reportedly been committed by the company PT. Multi Wijaya Wahana (PT. MWW) in the regency of Tambrauw. According to Charles Tawaru, the director of Papua Forest Watch (PFW), the NGOs found illegal logging practices during investigations between 2018 and 2019, which the company uses until today. The NGOs demand that PT. MWW’s logging concessions shall immediately be withdrawn if investigations confirm the allegations of illegal logging practices. PT. MWW’s logging concession had been extended twice in 2013 and 2018 ignoring strong indications for the violation of multiple laws and local regulations.

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On 15 September 2020, the panel of judges launched another political trial in the Sorong District Court. The Papuan defendants: Marten Muuk, Simon Sasior and Yakobus Assem have been charged with three indictments, among them the Articles 110 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) on criminal conspiracy and Article 106 KUHP on treason, the latter carrying a maximum penalty of live imprisonment. The three Papuans were arrested during a police raid in the regency of Maybrat, Papua Barat Province. The arrest occurred on 23 April 2020 in the Tigihmana Village of the Aifat District.

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Since 2011, fires have been used to clear vast areas of forests in remote areas of the Indonesian province of West Papua, including concessions sites operated by the Indonesian-South Korean palm oil conglomerate Korindo. Forensic Architecture and Greenpeace International have examined this allegation independently and investigated whether the cause of the fires could be identified in Korindo's palm oil concessions in Papua. The investigation concluded that Korindo has been using slash and burn practices to clear rainforests in West Papua and is therefore in breach of the Indonesian law. The organisations used cutting-edge data analysis to prove the direct correlation between the appearance of fires and the expansion of Korindo's palm oil plantation in one of the company's concession areas in West Papua.

"Papuan Lives Matter" - ELSAM launches new documentary about 2019 anti-racism protests

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), a Jakarta-based human rights NGO, has launched a documentary with the title “Papuan Lives Matter” on 15 November 2020. The documentary was produced in cooperation with Nalar TV, and it describes the background as well as the aftermaths of the Papua-wide protests against racial discrimination of indigenous Papuans. The demonstrations and the subsequent criminalisation campaign against protesters, human rights defenders and political activists must be regarded as one of the most significant events in Indonesia throughout 2019.