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Solidarity of Victims of the Wamena Human Rights Violations
Press Release - April 4, 2007
Governments of this country come and go but torture and human rights violations continue in many parts of Indonesia. In particular, the Papuan people have been the victims of various acts of terror, arrest, kidnapping and death, ever since the 1960s.
The most recent cases are the Bloody Biak case 6 July 1998, the Bloody Abepura case 7 December 2000, the Bloody Wasior case of 13 July 2001, the Bloody Wamena cases of 6 October 2000 and 4 April 2003, and the kidnap and murder of Theys Hiyo Eluay and the disappearance of his chauffeur, Aristotheles Mso on 10 November 2001.
Of all these cases only the Abepura case was taken to court but concluded with the acquittal of the perpetrators who were then rewarded with promotions.
Ironically, the nine victims of the Wamena case of 4 April 2003 were tried and convicted. Their names are: Numbungga Telenggen, life, Yefray Murib, life, Linus Heluka, 20 years, Apotikelek Lokobal 20 years, Meikel Heselo, 20 years, Kimanus Wenda, 20 years. (Only six names are given.)
After conviction, they were imprisoned in Wamena and from there they were moved under military pressure to a prison in Gunung Sari Makassar, on 15 December 2003. That the military were involved is evident from the fact that they were transported in a Hercules aircraft of the Air force.
The transfer was not helpful at all either for their physical circumstances or for their everyday conditions, creating new problems as they were now far removed from their families who would now need a great deal of money to visit them.
This is the second time that civilian prisoners in Wamena have been transferred, the first occasion being of Rev. Obet Komba and his colleagues, in which case the transfer was cancelled at the last minute at Sentani airport.
The condition of the prisoners still in Makassar is very bad as the result of non-physical torments, such as being called monkeys, black people, smelly and curly-haired.
In view of the fact that human rights violations perpetrated in the past have not been resolved and in consideration of the circumstances of the nine Papuan tapols, we have been moved to set up a Coalition of Papuan Students and Others Concerned with Human Rights Violations which carried out its first action on 7 February 2007 at the legislative assembly, DPRP, demanding the return of the prisoners from Makassar to Abepura Prison.
The DPRP took measures with the authorities with the result that only three of the prisoners, Gustap Ayomi, Heri Asso and Jens Hesegem were transferred while the other six were not. Yet we had demanded that they all be moved together.
Is it the intention of the government to ensure that they suffer the same fate as Hardi Tugumol who died in a police cell and whose body is still being held at Police headquarters (MABES POLRI)?
In view of all these injustices, the families of the victims of the Abepura, Wasior, Wamena, Biak cases and of Aristhoseles Masoka held a meeting from 5 – 10 March 2007 at the Maranatha Wenda Convent where they reached agreement to continue the fight for justice by continually reminding the public of the bleak past experiences of the Papuan people and organise more solidarity actions in support of the rights of the victims.
One of the decisions taken was that on the dates of these incidents, we will commemorate these violations.
Today, 4 April, was the day on which inhuman acts were taken by the MILITARY against Papuan people in Wamena which resulted in the loss of lives, of property, and physical and mental torment, by means of force and in violation of legal procedures.
Our demands are:
1. The immediate transfer of the six Papuan prisoners from Gunung Sari Prison in Makassar to Papua, by the latest before the end of the month of April 2007.
2. To condemn all the pressure and racial terror such as name-calling by officials at the Makassar Prison.
3. To bring to an end the disputations between the Prosecutors Office and the National Human Rights Commission and deal with the 4 April 2003 Wamena abuses honestly, justly and democratically.
4. It is the responsibility of the State to pay attention to the rights of prisoners during the entire period of their incarceration.
5. If our demands are ignored, the families of the victims will decide upon further actions, by organising strikes against the authorities concerned
Jayapura, 4 April 2007
Solidarity of victims of the Wamena human rights violations (ALDP Papua, Foker LSM Papua, Kontras Papua, Ikohi Papua, PBHI, KSA and AMPTPI) Peneas Lokbere, Coordinator
[Slightly abridged in translation by Tapol.]
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