A new report by Dr. Jason Macleod, Rosa Moiwend and Jasmine Pilbrow analyses political developments and human rights violations in West Papua by the Indonesian state in response to the West Papuan people's aspirations for self-determination. It covers the period between January 2014, when a delegation of Melanesian Spearhead Group Foreign Ministers' visited the territory, and 15 July 2016, the day after Melanesian Spearhead Group Special Leaders meet in Honiara and decided to defer a decision on the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's application for full...

Oral statement at the 33nd regular session of the Human Rights Council

Item 4 General debate – Human Rights situation that requires Council’s attention.

19th September 2016

Delivered by Andrzej Owca

Mr. President,

VIVAT International, Franciscans International, the International Coalition for Papua and TAPOL welcome and encourage the commitment and the efforts that have been already made by the government of Indonesia on human rights.

However, we remain deeply concerned about the continuous violations of...

Open Statement

Appointment of General Wiranto (Retired) as Minister confirms the deep-rooted impunity in Indonesia

July 27, 2016 - Three human rights groups, TAPOL, ETAN, and Watch Indonesia!, today criticized President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo’s appointment of former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander General (Ret.) Wiranto as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. Wiranto replaces General (Ret.) Luhut Pandjaitan. Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, told the media that Wiranto was appointed “because he had been well-tested and was experienced in resolving...

(London 24 June 2016) –A new report by Papuans Behind Bars (PBB) exposes the Indonesian government’s increased use of arbitrary arrests to shut down protests in West Papua in 2015. At the launch of the report, held at the Amnesty International Secretariat in London on 24 June, UK-based NGO, TAPOL, urged the Indonesian government to answer for ongoing impunity, state violence and increased arbitrary arrests in West Papua.

“The Indonesian government must end mass arrests at peaceful demonstrations as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are in accordance with Indonesia’s...

(London 24 June 2016) –A new report by Papuans Behind Bars (PBB) exposes the Indonesian government’s increased use of arbitrary arrests to shut down protests in West Papua in 2015. At the launch of the report, held at the Amnesty International Secretariat in London on 24 June, UK-based NGO, TAPOL, urged the Indonesian government to answer for ongoing impunity, state violence and increased arbitrary arrests in West Papua.

“The Indonesian government must end mass arrests at peaceful demonstrations as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are in accordance with Indonesia’s...

A new report by Papuans Behind Bars (PBB) exposes the Indonesian government’s increased use of arbitrary arrests to shut down protests in West Papua in 2015. The 28-page report ‘Rising voices, rising arrests: A look at West Papua in 2015’ exposes how freedom of expression and assembly in the region remains severely restricted. Based on data and testimonies collected and verified by PBB, the report shows that 1083 Papuans were arrested arbitrarily across Indonesia in 2015. This represents the highest number of arbitrary arrests documented in a single year since comprehensive...

On June 22nd 2016, an oral statement regarding the human rights situation in West Papua was heldbefore the UN Human Rights Council. The statement was supported by several organisations, including TAPOL.

Mr. President, We would like to draw the Council’s attention to the human rights situation in West Papua. As one of the most isolated areas in the world, it remains one of the last conflict regions within Indonesia. Local activists continue to report cases of arbitrary arrests by Indonesian security forces of predominantly-indigenous Papuans participating in peaceful gatherings...

Luhut Panjaitan

Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Affairs

Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 15

Jakarta Pusat 10110 - Indonesia

TRUTH-SEEKING AND FORMAL PUBLIC APOLOGY IS ESSENTIAL FOR 1965/1966 RESOLUTION

Amnesty International, ETAN (East Timor and Indonesia Action Network), TAPOL and Watch Indonesia! are writing to urge you to take the important steps necessary to ensure that the national symposium on the 1965 tragedy, held in Jakarta on 18 and 19 April, leads to justice, truth and reparation for victims.

This initiative...

Tapol, the British-based campaign for human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia, wishes to pay deep tribute to Lord Avebury who died on 14 February 2016.

Lord Avebury was TAPOL's Honorary President, and one of Westminster's leading human rights campaigners. Amongst other things, he was a founder member of Parliamentarians for East Timor, which was a key part of the international solidarity movement for East Timor. At the time, East Timor was illegally occupied by Indonesia. Journalists and NGOs were prohibited from entering, and even churches had difficulty visiting. There were...

This briefing paper provides an analytical overview of data on political arrests in West Papua from 2012 to 2014. It includes analysis of emerging trends in human rights violations associated with these political arrests.

Our analysis shows that during the three-year period of this report, the majority of those detained were arrested because of their participation in demonstrations or other types of peaceful political activity. 2013 was a particularly bad year, with a record high of 548 arrests. The data also showed that most of those detained were male (95%).

Charges of...

Mr Maina Kiai

UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly

Mr David Kaye

UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression

cc.           Mr Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

                Mr Juan Mendez, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment or punishment

                Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples

               Mr. Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions

                Mr....

“A Year under Jokowi – JK’s leadership, Increases the wounds of the Papuan People”

A Year under Jokowi – JK’s (Jusuf Kalla) leadership has passed, yet there have been no significant developments related to the resolution of conflicts that occur in Papua. There are still numerous incidents of violence by the National Army and the National Police, with the use of the security approach as well as the excessive use of firearms under the pretence of ‘defence’. This destroys democratic space – the space for freedom of expression. Arbitrary arrests and detentions...

A film made in 2015 to document the life of Carmel Budiardjo, now aged 90, and how she came to be a prisoner in Indonesia from 1968 to 1971. On her release and return to London she set up TAPOL to campaign for the release of other political prisoners. TAPOL has campaigned on various human rights issues in Indonesia. These have included East Timor, Aceh and West Papua.

Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The origins of America's Debate on East Timor By: Shane Gunderson (2015)

The Indonesian military's occupation of East Timor led to years of terror. Dr Gunderson believes that his book “will fill the gap for East Timor history curriculum developers faced with deciding who ought to be included, excluded, recognized, and acknowledged in the national history.” 

His aim is very ambitious and in some important aspects he does indeed ‘fill the gap.’ But there are a number of regrettable omissions. First of all, the US Government's...

It was early in the morning of Oct. 1, 1965, that my family and I woke up to the deafening sound of army trucks driving up and down outside our house in Menteng, Jakarta. One of our close neighbors was Gen. Nasution, who had apparently been one of the targets of an attempt early that morning by a group of soldiers to overthrow the government of President Sukarno.

At first, we had no idea that anything terrible had happened but, later that day, we were advised by a friend to leave our home for somewhere safer. A few days later, we returned home and soon afterwards a gang of youths...

We strongly condemn intimidation and threats against those in Indonesia who are trying to shed light on one of the worst crimes of the 20th century. In the past week, Indonesian authorities have forced the destruction of a periodical focused on the massacres in Indonesia that began 50 years ago. Officials also threatened to forcibly close this year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali unless events on the massacres were cancelled. The festival organizers regrettably agreed.

Beginning in 1965, with U.S. and British assistance and encouragement, hundreds of thousands of people...

The Practice of Torture: Business As Usual in Papua

The case studies in this report provide but a small example of the much broader patterns of violations that have occurred and which continue to take place until today in Papua. The cases demonstrate entrenched impunity for torture involving state actors. 

The Indonesian government has not demonstrated a serious commitment to recognize the truth about the widespread use of torture by state agents, prosecute perpetrators, prevent the recurrence of torture or other violations, and offer reparations to victims. Torture has become...

It was early in the morning of 1 October 1965, that my family and I woke up to the deafening sound of army trucks driving up and down outside our house in Menteng, Jakarta. One of our close neighbours was General Nasution who had apparently been one of the targets of an attempt early that morning by a group of soldiers to overthrow the government of President Sukarno.

At first, we had no idea that anything terrible had happened but later that day, we were advised by a friend to leave our home for somewhere safer. A few days later, we returned home and soon afterwards, a gang of...

Dear Mr Christof Heyns

Dear Ms Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Re: Targeted killing of indigenous Papuan youth in Papua, Indonesia

Franciscans International with the endorsement of 14 local, national and international NGOs would like to submit an urgent appeal case regarding the arbitrary execution on the September 28th, 2015, in Timika, Papua Provinces of Indonesia allegedly committed by members of the Indonesian Police Force. One student was shot dead and another student was wounded and is currently in a critical condition in the Regional Public Hospital in Mimika, Timika...

Carmel Budiardjo speaks about October 1st 1965 in Jakarta on the occasion of "Remembering the Forgotten" event organised by TAPOL and Amnesty International on September 23rd 2015; the 50th anniversary of 1965.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99-GZL5fkg