Franciscans InternationalDiscussion on Human Rights Violations in Papua
Following the violent dispersal by Indonesian security forces of the Third Papuan People’s Congress in October 2011, in Jayapura, FI’s new report confronts the Indonesian Government with the full scale of human rights abuses in West Papua.
FI launched the report: ‘Human Rights in Papua 2010/2011’ on 2 November during a round-table discussion with key stakeholders working on the West Papua situation. It provided an opportunity for the participating NGOs including Faith Based Network on West Papua, FI, Geneva for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, TAPOL, and World Organisation Against Torture, to express their concerns about the volatile situation in Papua.
A prominent human rights defender from Papua also constructively dialogued with a representative of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, and a representative from the UN Indonesian Permanent Mission on the grave issues currently affecting the Papuan people.
The Report was co-published by FI, Faith Based Network on West Papua and the Asian Human Rights Commission. It reveals the bleak reality of the human rights situation in Papua today. FI is primarily concerned by the restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, especially in relation to the work of human rights defenders, the use of torture by the authorities, the rights of vulnerable groups especially women and indigenous peoples, and the detrimental impact of the government’s heavy-handed security policies on human rights in Papua.