Gustaf Kawer and Yohanis Mambrasar: Pro Bono Champions 2019
TAPOL congratulates West Papuan lawyers Gustaf Kawer and Yohanis Mambrasar as the winners of Hukumonline Awards Pro Bono Champions 2019. The awards for Pro Bono Excellence Hours and the Most Inspiring Lawyer in the Field of Pro Bono Non-Litigation respectively were given in Jakarta on Wednesday, 11 December 2019. Hukumonline.com is an internet portal established in Indonesia at the turn of the millenium by lawyers and legal practitioners to provide educational information and training about law and legal matters. Since 2018, the prize of Pro Bono Champion is being awarded annually to...
West Papua: 61 new political prisoners on 1st December West Papuan National Day commemoration crackdown
West Papuans have been commemorating their National Day on 1st December every year since 1961. This has often resulted in violent repression by the Indonesian security forces.TAPOL is very alarmed by the security forces’ crackdown in the lead up to the 1st December commemoration day this year. In particular, we are concerned with the use of treason charges against those commemorating the National Day, and others. The security forces arrested 126 people, resulting in 61 new political prisoners who have been charged with treason. This follows a spate of arrests for treason between 30th August...
ACFID Awards Human Rights Recognition for Veronica Koman
TAPOL congratulates Veronica Koman for receiving the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award for her work on West Papua. Ms. Koman is a human rights lawyer and activist who advocates for the rights to freedom of expression and self-determination. The award was given by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) on Wednesday 23 October 2019. ACFID created the award in 2002 to honour the legacy of Sir Ron Wilson AC KBE CMG QC, who served as a judge on the High Court of Australia, as President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission until 1997 and was President of...
Summary of Violations of Freedom of Expression on West Papua: 15 August 2019
(London, 16 August 2019) Peaceful protesters across Indonesia and West Papua took to the streets yesterday to commemorate the 1962 New York Agreement and to support the West Papua delegation at the Pacific Islands Forum Summit. The groups protesting were from the Action Committee of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (Komite Aksi ULMWP), the Papuan Students Alliance (Aliansi Mahasiswa Papua / AMP), Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (Front Rakyat Indonesia untuk West Papua / FRI-WP), and Papuan Students Community (Komunitas Mahasiswa Papua / KMP).The day was marked with...
Media Freedom in West Papua: Submission to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry
In June 2019, TAPOL and Jubi made a written submission to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. The Commons Select Committee has opened up an inquiry into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Global Media Freedom. TAPOL and Jubi's submission highlighted the current state of media freedom in West Papua in particular. Over the last 10 years, journalists and news organisations have faced serious threats to their personal security, as well as being targeted by digital disinformation campaigns that aimed to disrupt the work of legitimate news sources and reporting. The death of...
West Papua Human Rights Update from the UN Human Rights Council
Both the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nduga and worsening clampdown on freedom of expression and assembly in West Papua were significant issues raised during the recent convening of the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (25 Feb. - 22 Mar. 2019).TAPOL, along with several collaborating West Papuan and international NGOs, co-hosted a side event entitled “Indonesia: Ensuring the survival of indigenous Papuans”on 7 March at Palais des Nations, Geneva. The objective of this event was to bring the discussion of the human rights situation in West Papua to Geneva, with updates...
BP In West Papua – Slow Motion Genocide, High Speed Profit (New Matilda Special Report)
Earlier this year, New Matilda sent British journalist Michael Gillard into West Papua, one of the most dangerous regions on earth for reporters. Michael’s goal was to hold to account a well known multinational operating beyond proper scrutiny in one of the world’s poorest regions. This is what he found.BP is profiting from a giant gas field in West Papua while the indigenous population face ‘slow motion genocide’ under Indonesian military occupation, an undercover investigation by New Matilda can reveal.https://newmatilda.com/2018/11/05/special-investigation-bp-west-papua-slow-...
Indonesia: Hentikan Impunitas dan Penangkapan Sewenang-wenang di Papua
(London 24 Juni 2016) –Sebuah laporan terbaru oleh Papuans Behind Bars mengungkapkan bahwa telah terjadi peningkatan tindakan penangkapan sewenang-wenang untuk membungkam protes di Papua oleh Pemerintah Indonesia pada tahun 2015. Dalam peluncuran laporan yang dilakukan di Sekretariat Amnesty Internasional di London pada 24 Juni, organisasi HAM berbasis di London, TAPOL meminta pemerintah Indonesia untuk menjawab situasi impunitas yang terus berlanjut, kekerasan Negara dan meningkatnya tindakan penangkapan sewenang-wenang di Papua. “Pemerintah Indonesia harus menghentikan tindakan penangkapan...
Indonesia: End impunity and arbitrary arrests in West Papua
(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 obligations under...
Tapol wishes to pay deep tribute to Lord Avebury who died on 14 February 2016
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 numerous...
Carmel and the Story of Tapol
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. See the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kdrMXXE0o
Review: "Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The Origins of America's Debate on East Timor"
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 role in the...
Time to Acknowledge the Truth About '1965'
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 forced their...
Rights groups Condemn Censorship of Discussions of 1965
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 were...
Fifty Years on: A Personal Story
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 youths forced...
Carmel in 50 years Anniversary of 1965 Massacre in London
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
Lima Puluh Tahun Berlalu, Para Korban ’65 Masih Menunggu Kebenaran, Keadilan, dan Reparasi
Pada 30 September 2015, Indonesia akan menandai peringatan ke-50 tahun peristiwa pelanggaran masif hak asasi manusia (HAM) 1965, sebuah noda hitam dalam sejarah negeri ini. Amnesty International dan TAPOL yakin bahwa ini adalah saatnya pemerintah Indonesia untuk menghadapi masa lalu ini dan mengambil langkah-langkah yang telah lama tertunda yang dibutuhkan untuk menyediakan para korban ’65 akses terhadap kebenaran, keadilan, dan reparasi.Setelah sebuah kudeta yang gagal di September 1965, militer Indonesia mulai melakukan sebuah serangan yang sistematik terhadap para anggota Partai Komunis...
Fifty Years On, Victims of ’65 Still Waiting for Truth, Justice and Reparation
On 30 September 2015, Indonesia will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 mass human rights violations, a dark stain in the country’s history. Amnesty International and TAPOL believe it is time for the Indonesian government to face the past and take the long overdue measures required to provide victims of ‘65 with access to truth, justice and reparation.Following a failed coup in September 1965, the Indonesian military launched a systematic attack against members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and suspected sympathizers. Human rights organizations have documented a range of human...
Film Screening & Talk: Look of Silence
We invite you to the screening of "The Look of Silence" in ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH on Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 4.30 pm.It will be followed with a discussion of “The Power of Memory" by Soe Tjen Marching (Bhinneka Nusantara).The Look of Silence is Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing, which was screened at the ICA for 52 weeks. Through Oppenheimer’s work filming perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discover how their son was murdered and the identity of the men who killed...