Article

Unabated State terror in West Papua

In Indonesia’s West Papua, where a movement for independence is ongoing, the state terror against the indigenous Papuans continued unabated. This state terror intensified in the run up to the country’s General Election which was held on 9 April 2009 under the shadow of renewed demand for West Papua’s independence by the indigenous peoples. The security forces and the intelligence services brutally cracked down the peaceful democratic protests by pro-independence activists in West Papua.

Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network (AITPN) expresses its serious concern over such use of brutal force and fire arms on peaceful protestors, arbitrary arrests and torture of civilians including human rights defenders. The uncanny involvement of the intelligence personnel in the shootings of unarmed civilians, who were not even part of the protest rallies, and absolute lack of accountability for such crimes are worrying.

I. Continued state terror

The Indonesia security forces and the intelligence personnel have been responsible for flagrant human rights violations in West Papua. The West Papuans have been denied the freedom of expression and opinion. Even the voices uttered against acts of human rights violations by the state are suppressed.

On 3 April 2009, thousands of Papuans participated in the pro-independence rallies in two Papuan towns of Nabire and Wamena. The protestors demanded an independent investigation into the ongoing human rights violations by the state agencies in West Papua, called for a referendum on the question of self-determination and boycott of the 9th April 2009 general elections. In Nabire, the police used excessive force to disperse the protestors, injuring at least seven of them in police firing. Four of them were admitted in hospital in critical condition, including a 10-year-old student who was shot while returning from school.[1] Many protestors were arrested and detained. On 18 June 2009, charges were filed against 17 Papuans arrested during the April 3rd pro-independence rally in Nabire. Most of those charged are students arrested for attacking and vandalizing a police vehicle while one is a housewife who has been charged with possession of a “Morning Star” flag.[2]

On 3 April 2009, the police raided and ransacked the office of the Papuan Customary Council in the West Papua capital Jayapura and arrested 15 people. The police also confiscated documents, a laptop, mobile phones and various other materials from the office. The police also claimed having found two guns in the office. However, the ownership of the guns has not been established.[3]

The police also cracked down on the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). On 3 April 2009, the police arrested three KNPB activists identified as Mako Tabuni, Serafin Diaz and Yance Mottealong with 14 others in Jayapura for alleged subversive activities. While the three activists of KNPB were detained, the others were released.[4] The KNPB said it had on 4 April 2009 wrote to the police for prior information to hold a protest rally in Nabire on 6 April 2009. In reply the police launched a surprise raid on the KNPB camps at around 3 am (local time) on 6 April 2009. The police shot dead a youth activist identified as Jerry Nawipa (18 years), set afire two tents in the camp and arrested 15 KNPB activists.

However, the indigenous peoples went on to hold the scheduled rally in Nabire on 6 April 2009 wherein around 200-300 demonstrators participated. Police opened fire on the demonstrators, injuring at least eleven demonstrators.[5] There has been report that prior to the scheduled protest, armed Indonesian military intelligence officers were seen sitting in ambush in the houses belonging to non-Papuans around the Karang Tumaritis area where the protest rally was scheduled to take place. When the protest rally was taken out, the police personnel attacked the protestors while the hidden security officials allegedly shot at civilians who even did not participate in the protest. The indiscriminate shooting injured several civilians.[6] At least 11 injured persons were admitted to the Nabire Regional Public Hospital in critical conditions.[7] Some of the victims have been identified as[8]:

1. Fritz Samuel Singamui (Male/ 30 Years) – He was shot in the left side of the chest and his condition was critical at Nabire Public hospital. He was not involved in the demonstration
   
2. Albertus Tagi (Male/10 Years) is an orphan, a 4th grade student at the local elementary school. He was shot in his right ribs as he was going home from school. His condition was critical in Nabire Public hospital
   
3. Yunandi Pigome (Male/28 Years) is a farmer. He was shot at his left back skull as he was going home. He was not involved in the demonstration. His condition was critical in Nabire hospital
   
4. Ipo Boga (Male /28 Years), a farmer – he was shot in the buttocks and the bullet passed through near his genitals. He went to the local market and was returning home when shot. He was not involved in the demonstration
   
5. Hengky Boma (Male/ 25 years), a farmer, was shot in his right thigh. He was not involved in the demonstration
   
6. Alfonse Yeimo (Male/ 22 Years, a student was shot in the forehead
   
7. Yafeth Keiya (Male/26 Years) a farmer - he was shot in the right wrist. He was going to market when shot and was not involved in the demonstration, and
   
8. Hengky Tenouye (Male/ 20 Years), a farmer - he was shot on the left side of his chest. He was not involved in the demonstrations.
   

In a separate incident, the Mobile Brigade police shot dead Mica Boma (58 years) and injured three others in open firing at Enarotali town in Paniai on 30 June 2009. The deceased was reportedly shot in the abdomen. In defence, the Papua Police chief Inspector General Bagus Ekodanto claimed that the residents shot arrows at the officers when they were passing by injuring one officer. According to the police chief, this prompted the police to open fire.[9]

II. Suppression of human rights defenders

Indonesia’s treatment towards human rights defenders has been worse. Ms Hina Jilani, then Special Representative of the Secretary General on the situation of human rights defenders in her report, following her visit to Indonesia in June 2007, confirmed this and she recommended the following, among others: “setting up of mechanisms to investigate complaints of violations committed against human rights defenders”; to “review administrative procedures in order to remove restrictive regulations that impede the right of defenders to freedom of assembly and of association”; to “prevent the prosecution of human rights defenders aimed at their harassment for conducting activities that are legitimately a part of their function for the defence of human rights”; and to sensitize the judicial and prosecutorial officials as well as the police that the activities of human rights defenders were not criminal activities.[10]

On 2 February 2009, the Indonesian security forces attacked a group of indigenous West Papuans who were holding a peaceful protest against repeated postponement of the local election in Nabire. Several protestors were shot by rubber bullets, kicked and beaten up. The protestors then called up respected human rights defender Yones Douw to document the violations committed by the security forces. When Yones Douw came to the spot he was assaulted too. Eyewitnesses stated that Yones Douw was kicked by police officers, beaten on the side of his head and then punched in the face. At least seven of the demonstrators along with Yones Douw were arrested. However, they were released after one day in custody. The police chief of Nabire, Commander Rinto Jatmono was reportedly directly responsible for the assault on the peaceful protestors. It is believed that Indonesian National Intelligence Service personnel participated in the assault along with the police and the notorious BRIMOB (Mobile Brigade), the paramilitary police.[11]

Several West Papuans are presently serving long jail sentences or facing trial for alleged involvement in peaceful demonstrations or for possessing or raising the banned Morning Star flag. According to the US State Department, at least 30 Papuan pro-independence activists, including a 16-year-old boy, were under detention for raising the Morning Star flag in 2008.[12]

On 17 June 2009, prosecutors demanded 10 years imprisonment for pro-independence activist Bucthar Tabuni in the district court in Jayapura, Papua. Bucthar Tabuni, chairman of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP), was arrested in Jayapura in December 2008 for leading a peaceful demonstration to support the launch of the IPWP in London and has been facing charges of treason against the state.[13]

Earlier, on 29 January 2009, the Jayapura District Court acquitted human rights lawyer Iwanggin Sabar Olif alias Sabar of all the charges brought against him by the Indonesian government. Iwanggin Sabar Olif was charged under Section 160 of Indonesia’s Criminal Code for inciting “in public to commit a punishable act, a violent action against the public authority or any other disobedience”. He was arrested on 18 October 2007 for allegedly distributing a text message stating that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had ordered for eradication of the Papuan population through food poisoning and other violent actions. Iwanggin Sabar Olif denied the charge.[14]