A Statement by the Asian Human
Rights Commission.
After monitoring 20 months of the human rights
situation in Papua and West Papua provinces under President
Joko Widodo’s administration, the Asian Human Rights
Commission (AHRC) is dismayed at the utter lack of progress
in the protection and realization of people’s rights.
Since President Widodo’s inauguration on 20 October
2014, there were considerable expectations for improvement
in Indonesia’s human rights situation, particularly in
Papua and West Papua. President Widodo was believed to have
a strong commitment to addressing the various human rights
violations in Papua, providing remedies for victims and
families, and evaluating the presence of security forces in
the province. Over a year of his presidency however, has
neither resolved any of the past human rights violations,
nor seen any adequate remedy and guarantee for non
recurrence given to the victims.
Law No. 21 of 2001 on special autonomy for Papua
and West Papua province has yet to bring benefits to local
indigenous Papuans. Similarly, government development of
public infrastructure has an economic and business
orientation rather than benefits for the local community.
The government’s attempts to boost international
investment to Papua and West Papua will likely see an
increase in migration to the provinces from elsewhere in
Indonesia, further fuelling local discontent.
Furthermore, criminal justice institutions in the
provinces do not function to address human rights problems.
The police are frequently involved in various human rights
violations in the two provinces, and the accountability
mechanism has failed to address this problem. The Paniai
case of 8 December 2014, where four indigenous Papuan
children were shot to death, two adults seriously injured,
and 17 others injured (AHRC-UAC-089-2015)
is an indicative example of the brutality faced by Papuans,
as well as the lack of any effective investigation or
remedies. Other cases that have also not been investigated
and prosecuted under President Widodo’s administration
include the case of a member of the Air Force heavily
maltreating 22-year-old Amsal Marandof (AHRC-UAC-143-2015),
the case of arbitrary arrest and torture of three indigenous
Papuans on 27 August 2015 (AHRC-UAC-003-2016),
and the case of the shooting and brutal attack on 10
indigenous Papuan youth conducted by police officers of Tigi
Police Sector (AHRC-UAC-090-2015).
The AHRC has also observed the Indonesian
government’s lack of willingness to deal with past
human rights abuses in Papua and West Papua provinces. The
investigation report of the National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) on the gross violations in Wasior Wamena
Papua (2001 and 2003), for instance, has been sitting with
the Attorney General for the past eight years, without any
action taken by that office. In the allegations of genocide
in the Central High Lands of Papua from 1977-1978 as well,
although the AHRC submitted a report to Komnas HAM, as of
yet there is no progress in the investigation. While Komnas
HAM initiated establishing a team in November 2015 to audit
human rights violations beginning from the integration of
Papua to the Republic of Indonesia until the case of
Tolikara (AHRC-UAC-106-2015,
AHRC-UAU-002-2016),
since then there has been no clear information on the
team’s existence or work.
Recently, a government initiative under the
Coordinator Minister of Politic and Security
(Menkopolhukam), Mr. Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, was announced,
to establish a special team dealing with human rights
violations in Papua and West Papua provinces. Local human
rights groups however, have largely rejected the initiative,
saying that representative indigenous Papuans in the team
are not genuinely representing indigenous Papuans on the
ground. In fact, the initiative is typical of the government
process to suddenly establish a team without proper
consultation and discussion with Papuans on the ground. The
government tends to simplify the problems in Papua, and its
economic and infrastructure perspective on Papua does not
seriously take into consideration the history of human
rights violations occurring from the time of integration to
the present.
The AHRC therefore calls for President Joko Widodo
and his administration to take serious and comprehensive
steps to deal with the various human rights problems facing
Papua and West Papua provinces. The government should stop
seeking political benefits in dealing with the provinces,
and focus on improving the situation of the local
communities. In particular, the government must guarantee
protection of local indigenous Papuans, local human rights
defenders and journalists, and consistently open Papua and
West Papua to international monitors to ensure the progress
of resolution.(pt)
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