- Human Rights Update West Papua - 4th Quarter 2020
- Extensive public support for indigenous Papuans againts the Tambrauw Military Base
- Top Indonesian palm oil developments in 2020
- Cooperation between the Archdiocese of Merauke and palm oil company causes outrage
- Attorney General establishes special team to settle 13 cases of gross human rights violations
- KNPB activist arrested and detained – LBH Papua condemn procedural violations
- Security force members torture indigenous Papuan on New Year’s Eve
- Papua sawmill loses legality certification over allegations of forged permit
- Update on law enforcement process in multiple cases of human rights violations in Intan Jaya
- Security forces and right-wing groups prevent peaceful ‘Trikora’ demonstration in Jakarta
Statistical data on extra-judicial killings and torture do not show significant changes throughout the fourth quarter of 2020. Both figures remain high. The majority of extra-judicial killings in West Papua are related to security force raids in the central highlands. The armed conflict entails a new pattern of violations, namely enforced disappearances, which exclusively occur with military incursions. Human rights defenders have estimated that the armed conflicts in the regencies of Mimika, Intan Jaya and Nduga have resulted in the internal displacement of at least 60,000 persons. The vast majority of them are indigenous Papuans. The local and central government continue to neglect the humanitarian crisis in Papua's central highlands. Hence most IDPs do not have access to food, healthcare, education and other humanitarian services. At the same time, the ongoing security force operations prevent them from returning home.
Top Indonesian palm oil developments in 2020
Cooperation between the Archdiocese of Merauke and palm oil company causes outrage
UCA News has reported that the Merauke Archdiocese in Indonesia's Papua province is set to receive billions of rupiah through a collaboration with an environmentally controversial palm oil company, sparking strong protests from local Catholics. Protesters said they felt marginalized by the presence of the palm oil company, PT Tunas Sawa Erma, and its deforestation, saying this cooperation showed that the archdiocese is insensitive to their struggles. Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi signed an letter of intent on 5 January with the manager of the firm, a subsidiary of the Korindo Group, and a joint Indonesian and South Korean venture. The company handed over 800 million rupiah (US$56,600), part of a 2.4 billion rupiah commitment to be given in stages over three years. Tabloid Jubi has also published an article on the topic, interviewing with environmentalist Agustinus Mahuze on the same topic.
Attorney General establishes special team to settle 13 cases of gross human rights violations
KNPB activist arrested and detained – LBH Papua condemn procedural violations
Security force members torture indigenous Papuan on New Year’s Eve
Since late 2019, a series of allegations of fake permits involving major certified timber operations has been raised, indicating that illegal logging operations had been officially certified and are legal under Indonesia’s timber verification scheme. These operations are linked to widespread deforestation and corruption in Indonesia. The revocation of Tulen Jayamas Timber Industries' (TJTI) legality certificate in August 2020 was the one of the latest development in this long-running faked permits fiasco surrounding sawmills and palm oil projects. In December 2020, Mongabay published an extensive review of the latest developments and particularly about the Tulen Jayamas Timber Industries.
Update on law enforcement process in multiple cases of human rights violations in Intan Jaya
Joint security forces and multiple right-wing groups have prevented Papuan students from holding a peaceful demonstration in commemoration of Jakarta's Trikora speech. On 19 December 1961, Indonesia’s first president Soekarno held the Trikora Speech. He expressed Indonesia’s claims regarding the former Dutch colony of Nederlands Nieuw Guinea; today commonly referred to as West Papua. Supporters of the Indonesian Peoples’ Front for West Papua (FRI WP) and the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) met in central Jakarta on 19 December 2020, around 12.30 pm, and began to walk towards the presidential palace.
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