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As a defendant, Viktor also expressed his frustration in the courtroom. He was surprised by the prosecutor's reasoning about "having to coordinate with Jakarta", and addressed the court and prosecutor directly: "Do you guys actually want to try me politically or legally? Prosecutor, if you have other, political intentions, then resolve this case well. Throughout the trial, the prosecutors could not prove my guilt but have detained me all this time. What does all this mean? What is there to be afraid of?”
Franciscans International, Amnesty International, World Council of Churches, CIVICUS, Human Rights Monitoring and TAPOL appreciate the Government of Indonesia’s support for five recommendations on the human rights situation in West Papua. We regret that five other recommendations on West Papua including on the visit of the High Commissioner for Human Rights are only noted, despite an invitation to the previous High Commissioner.
It has been a month since Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens was taken hostage by the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB) in Nduga, in the highlands of Papua Pegunungan Province. Despite putting the West Papua issue back in the international spotlight, the hostage-taking of civilians is regrettable and unjustified based on international human rights and humanitarian norms.
Melkias Ky (23) has become the victim of a wrongful arrest by the police, during the trial surrounding the events that took place in Kisor, Maybrat, on 2nd September 2021. The sentencing will take place on Friday 3rd February 2023. For more information on the background of this event and the broader situation in Maybrat, please take a look at our video series and our briefing.
TAPOL and awasMIFEE’s latest reports explore the increasing prominence of food estates in West Papua and Indonesia, diving into its history, purported reasoning and who stands to benefit from their creation.
Webinar: A Look at the State of Food Estates: Food Estates and Food System Power Grabs
24th January 2023,
Youtube Recording: youtu.be/R3Zj76C-SPs