The Indonesian military and counter-terrorism: new business, same old ways
From the early 2000s, terrorism in Indonesia was regarded as a matter of ‘security and order’, and dealt with by the police and its militarized anti-terror unit, Densus 88. However, in 2018, legislation was amended which marked a shift in that the Indonesian military was again given a key role in countering terrorism. In 2021, this legal provision was brought into play as the main West Papuan armed resistance, the TPNPB was designated as a ‘terrorist’ organisation by the Government. The move further cements the military’s power and authority, which has been growing for twenty years, and has...
Kabar Terbaru Victor Yeimo – Persidangan ditunda karena kondisi kesehatan yang memburuk, penanganan medis yang lambat, dan respons dari PBB
London, 21 September 2021Pengadilan politik Victor Yeimo ditunda oleh Pengadilan Negeri (PN) Jayapura pada 31 Agustus 2021 sampai Victor dinyatakan sehat secara fisik oleh pihak rumah sakit. Pada hari yang sama, dengan alasan bahwa sidang pokok perkara telah dimulai, PN Jayapura menolak praperadilan yang diajukan Victor untuk mempersoalkan penangkapan dan penahanannya yang melanggar hukum acara.Victor Yeimo kini ditetapkan sebagai pasien rawat jalan oleh rumah sakit dan ia akan diperlakukan sebagai tahanan kota.Victor akhirnya dirawat di rumah sakit pada 30 Agustus, meskipun pihak pengadilan...
Update on Victor Yeimo - Trial adjourned due to deteriorating health condition, delayed medical treatment, responses from the UN
London, 21 September 2021The political trial of Victor Yeimo was adjourned by the District Court of Jayapura on 31 August 2021 until he is declared physically fit by the hospital. On the same day, the Court also dismissed his pretrial motion, challenging his arrest and detention for violating criminal procedural law, on the grounds that the main trial had begun.Victor Yeimo was finally hospitalised on 30 August despite the Court having issued an order to hospitalise him since the evening of 27 August. The prosecutors deliberately defied the Court’s order, which caused uproar among the public...
West Papua 2020 Kebebasan Berekspresi dan Kebebasan Berkumpul Laporan Lengkap
West Papua 2020: Serangan fisik dan digital terhadap kebebasan berekspresi dan berkumpul di West PapuaSiaran Pers
London, 16 September 2021Demonstran, aktivis mahasiswa, kelompok aktivis politik West Papua dan Indonesia, pengacara dan pembela hak asasi manusia (HAM), serta warga sipil, terus mengalami represi karena keterlibatan mereka dalam demonstrasi damai dan rapat-rapat yang berlangsung pada tahun 2020 di West Papua dan luar West Papua. Itulah temuan-temuan dari sebuah laporan terbaru, “West Papua 2020: Laporan Kebebasan Berekspresi dan Berkumpul”, yang di dalamnya TAPOL menyusun...
West Papua 2020 Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly Full Report
West Papua 2020: online and offline attacks against freedom of expression and assembly in the regionPress Release London, 16th September 2021Peaceful demonstrators, student activists, West Papuan and Indonesian political activist groups, human rights lawyers and defenders and individual civilians experienced extreme repression for their involvement in peaceful demonstrations and meetings which occured in 2020 in West Papua and outside West Papua. These are the findings of a new report, the West Papua 2020: Freedom Of Expression And Freedom Of Assembly Report in which TAPOL has collated and...
Job opening at TAPOL
Campaigner, TAPOL September 2021Position: Campaigner (UK-based)Part-time: two days per week equivalentSalary: £24,000 - £27,500 (pro rata), depending on experienceTAPOL is a UK-based NGO that promotes human rights, peace and democracy in Indonesia. We are looking for a UK-based campaigner to undertake campaign work particularly on West Papua as well as wider Indonesia-related issues. The successful candidate must be in agreement with TAPOL's objectives.Location: UK-based, preferably with easy/regular access to our London officeStart date: 1 January 2022, ideally.How to apply: To obtain more...
Trial of Victor Yeimo, West Papuan Political Prisoner
(London, 24 August 2021) Today is the first day of the trial of West Papuan political leader Victor Yeimo, the international spokes-person of the West Papuan National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat, KNPB) and the Papuan People's Petition (Petisi Rakyat Papua, PRP). Victor Yeimo was arrested on 9th May 2021 for his alleged role in the 2019 West Papua Uprising protests. The State Prosecutors indicted Victor Yeimo on three counts of treason and one count of incitement which could put him in prison for life. According to Victor Yeimo’s lawyers, the authorities have violated...
Committing Crimes Against Humanity is Not for Celebration
President Widodo Should Revoke Award for Human Rights Violator Committing Crimes Against Humanity is Not for CelebrationLondon, New York, Berlin Saturday 14 August, 2021TAPOL, ETAN and Watch Indonesia! strongly condemn President Joko Widodo’s decision to grant ‘Bintang Jasa Utama’, one the highest national awards, to Eurico Guterres on Thursday, 12 August 2021. Guterres, an anti-independence militia leader in Timor-Leste, was one of the key figures who led and participated in a series of massacres and destruction in his homeland prior to and in the aftermath of the 1999 referendum, in which...
Perpetrators of military violence against civilians in West Papua must be held accountable and institutional racism properly addressed
TAPOL strongly condemns the conduct of two airforce personnel who severely beat a disabled man, Steven Yadohamang, in Merauke, West Papua province, on 27 July 2021. The incident, which has been widely shared on social media, shows the two personnel beating up a man and crushing his body into the ground and stamping on his head. It is clear from the footage that Yadohamang does not possess the capacity to defend himself against two individuals who appear to be unconcerned with possible consequences. A similar incident in Nabire took place the following day. A West Papuan man Nicolas Mote was...
Tentara pelaku kekerasan terhadap sipil di Tanah Papua harus bertanggung jawab dan akhiri rasisme institusional
TAPOL mengecam keras perlakuan dua personel Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) Angkatan Udara yang menganiaya seorang penyandang disabilitas, Steven Yadohamang, di Merauke, Provinsi Papua Barat, pada 27 Juli 2021. Peristiwa yang sudah beredar luas di media sosial itu memperlihatkan dua personel tersebut memukuli seorang pria dan membanting tubuhnya ke tanah dan menginjak kepalanya. Dari rekaman itu terlihat jelas bahwa Steven tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk membela diri dari dua individu yang tampaknya tidak peduli dengan konsekuensi yang mungkin terjadi. Keesokan harinya, terjadi kejadian...
Unilateral renewal of Special Autonomy and arbitrary arrest of protesters in West Papua
JOINT STATEMENTIndonesia: Unilateral renewal of Special Autonomy and arbitrary arrest of protesters in West Papua(Johannesburg, London, 16 July 2021) CIVICUS and TAPOL regret the revision and renewal of the Special Autonomy Law in West Papua (Papua and West Papua Provinces), which further strips critical aspects of decentralisation and autonomy for the region. We are also extremely concerned about the arbitrary arrest of people protesting the renewal and forcible disruptions of protests. Despite such protests and the lack of consultation with the people of West Papua, the law was passed by...
Perpanjangan sepihak Otonomi Khusus dan penangkapan sewenang-wenang demonstran di Tanah Papua
(Johannesburg, London, 16 Juli 2021) CIVICUS dan TAPOL menyesalkan revisi dan perpanjangan Undang-undang Otonomi Khusus (Otsus) yang semakin melucuti aspek penting dari desentralisasi dan otonomi di Tanah Papua (Provinsi Papua dan Papua Barat). Kami juga sangat prihatin tentang penangkapan sewenang-wenang terhadap para demonstran dan pembubaran paksa aksi damai menentang perpanjangan Otsus tersebut. Meski banyak protes dan kurang konsultasi dengan Orang Papua, perpanjangan Otsus tetap disahkan oleh Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) pada 15 Juli.Aksi-aksi protes seminggu belakangan ini merupakan...
TAPOL mourns the passing of our inspirational founder Carmel Budiardjo
Carmel Budiardjo, TAPOL’s founder and driving force for many decades, passed away peacefully on the morning of Saturday 10th July. She will be greatly missed by all of us in TAPOL and in the wider TAPOL family, the extensive network of people whose lives were touched - and sometimes transformed - by her passionate and determined campaigning for human rights, justice and democracy in Indonesia, East Timor, Aceh and West Papua. For many of us she was a great mentor as well as a beloved friend.TAPOL stands for 'tahanan politik' or 'political prisoners' in Indonesian. Carmel, a British citizen...
Joint Letter to Minister of Communication and Information Technology - Indonesia
Dear H.E. Johnny G. Plate,
Minister of Communication and Information Technology
Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Indonesia (25 May, 2021) We, the undersigned, urge you to repeal Ministerial Regulation 5/2020 (MR5) that is deeply problematic, granting government authorities overly broad powers to regulate online content, access user data, and penalize companies that fail to comply.
MR5 governs all private “electronic systems operators” that are accessible in Indonesia, broadly defined to include social media and other content-sharing platforms,...
Otonomi Khusus: Besar di Anggaran, Minim di HAM dan Demokrasi
Pada tahun 2001, Pemerintah Indonesia mengesahkan Undang-Undang Otonomi Khusus (UU Otsus) tentang pemerintahan di West Papua. Setelah 20 tahun berjalan, masalah pendanaan yang termuat dalam undang-undang dan peraturan turunannya akan dievaluasi dan direvisi. Evaluasi terhadap bagian per bagian ataupun keseluruhan materi dan substansi UU tersebut penting demi berbagai alasan. Di antara yang terpenting adalah bahwa proyek-proyek pembangunan di West Papua telah menjadi cara pemerintahan yang paling digemari. Otonomi khusus (Otsus) dan pendanaannya diharapkan dapat menghentikan marjinalisasi yang...
TAPOL Bergabung dengan Petisi Rakyat Papua
(London, 25 Mei 2021) Hari ini TAPOL meluncurkan sebuah dokumen arahan untuk memberi tahu komunitas internasional alasan Orang West Papua menolak perpanjangan dan revisi Undang-Undang (UU) Otonomi Khusus (Otsus). Demi mendukung suara organisasi akar rumput West Papua, kami turut menjadi bagian dari gerakan organisasi masyarakat sipil yang tergabung dalam Petisi Rakyat Papua (PRP) sebagai anggotanya yang ke-111. Dokumen tersebut, “Otonomi Khusus: Besar di Anggaran, Minim di HAM dan Demokrasi”, menerangkan sejarah Otsus di West Papua, kelemahannya, dan alasan-alasan mengapa banyak...
Special autonomy – big on funds, short on human rights and democracy
In 2001 the Indonesian government passed a special autonomy law relating to the governance of West Papua. After 20 years the funding arrangements contained in the law and its regulations are to be evaluated and revised. The general nature and detailed elements of this evaluation are significant for many reasons. Among the most important is that development projects in West Papua have become the preferred way of governing the territory. Special autonomy and its funding were supposed to reverse the marginalisation suffered by West Papuans, following lengthy periods of emergency military rule...
TAPOL Joins the Papuan People’s Petition
TAPOL Joins the Papuan People’s Petition(London, 25 May 2021) TAPOL has today launched a briefing aimed at informing the international community about why West Papuan people are rejecting the extension and revision of the special autonomy law. In support of a call by West Papuan grassroots organisations, we have become part of the movement of civil society organisations associated with the Papuan People’s Petition (Petisi Rakyat Papua, PRP) as its 111th member.The piece, titled “Briefing: Special Autonomy – Big on funds, Short on human rights and democracy”, outlines the history of special...
Indonesia: Segera Bebaskan Victor Yeimo Tanpa Syarat!
(London, Sydney, 14 Mei 2021) Pelagio Doutel dari TAPOL menyerukan, “Pelapor Khusus Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa harus mendesak pembebasan segera dan tanpa syarat Victor Yeimo.”Seruan mendesak atas nama pemimpin pro-kemerdekaan West Papua Victor Yeimo telah dikirim oleh organisasi hak asasi manusia (HAM) TAPOL dan pengacara Veronica Koman kepada mekanisme Prosedur Khusus dari Dewan HAM Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (PBB).Victor Yeimo (37) ditangkap pada 9 Mei 2021 di Jayapura. Ia disangkakan sebelas pasal termasuk makar atas keterlibatan damainya dalam Gerakan West Papua Melawan 2019. Ia sempat...
Indonesia: Release Victor Yeimo Immediately and Unconditionally!
(London, Sydney, 14 May 2021) Pelagio Doutel of TAPOL says "UN Rapporteurs should call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Victor Yeimo of West Papua" An urgent appeal on behalf of West Papuan pro-independence leader Victor Yeimo has been submitted by human rights organization TAPOL and lawyer Veronica Koman to the United Nations Special Procedures mechanisms of the Human Rights Council.Victor Yeimo (37) was arrested on 9 May 2021 in Jayapura. He faces eleven charges including treason over his peaceful role in the 2019 West Papua Uprising. He had been living in exile in PNG...