25 May 2021
In this briefing we describe how the law has failed to achieve its objectives in two ways. First, despite promising to ‘protect’ West Papuan culture, and to economically empower indigenous West Papuans, many important aspects of the law have been only partly implemented or ignored altogether. Second, instead of implementing the law, the authorities have resorted to governing through a programme of development projects from abundant funds.
14 May 2021
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.
07 May 2021
His departure is too early for the movement which needs more dedicated people like him, the cheeky kid who wouldn’t stop nagging the authorities. All the more now, at a time when Indonesia seems to be going backwards, bringing a déjà vu of Orde Baru, the militaristic draconian regime of Suharto’s Indonesia.
31 March 2021
TAPOL strongly denounces the proposal put forward by the Indonesian National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT/Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme) to categorise the Free Papua Organisation (OPM/Organisasi Papua Merdeka) as a terrorist organisation. Such a move will lead to more serious human rights abuses in West Papua.
22 March 2021
TAPOL condemns the coup d’etat and violence against protestors by the Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw. While we appreciate the work of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar on this crisis, we regret the inaction of many United Nations (UN) member states which for the most part have done little despite the deteriorating situation.
17 December 2020
Indigenous tribes such as the Kamoro and the Amungme have been claiming their communities have been afflicted with poverty, violence and mostly environmental degradation since the Grasberg mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia began its activities 48 years ago. Turning the spotlight again on this critical issue, the ICP, together with the Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Initiative Action for Ecology and Peoples' Emancipation (AEER), the Center for Study, Documentation and Advocacy on Peoples' Rights (PUSAKA), Friends of the Earth Papua (WALHI Papua), the Lokataru Law and Human...
08 December 2020
TAPOL Briefing
Entrenched militarism, the ‘prosperity’ approach and governance by exception in West Papua December 8, 2020
Introduction
Since the fall of the New Order regime (1966-1998), with one brief period of exception between 1998-2001, the power and authority of the Indonesian security forces in the region of West Papua have remained largely undiminished. We attribute this to two reasons, both of which stem from a failure to implement genuine political reform in West Papua and Indonesia more broadly.
First, the power of the military and police in West Papua has...
19 October 2020
TAPOL BriefingRecent changes to Indonesian labour law: why the country's workers are protesting
October 19, 2020
On 5 October 2020, the Indonesian Parliament passed an ‘Omnibus’ law. At the time of writing, the legislation has not yet been signed into law by President Widodo and reportedly has gone through further revisions since being passed by Parliament. The draft law remains the subject of extensive street protests across Indonesia. This was met with a significant security force crackdown in response, including violence committed against demonstrators - labour and environmental...
30 September 2020
THE 2019 WEST PAPUA UPRISING: FULL REPORT
London, 30 September 2020
TAPOL, in collaboration with human rights lawyer Veronica Koman, has today published an extensive report on the 2019 West Papua Uprising ('the Uprising') on the anniversary of its last day in 2019. The written report is supplemented with a short video.
The report, summarised in an executive summary, is a compilation of analyses and stories focusing on the human rights violations committed during the Uprising, including the racism which triggered it and the impunity which its perpetrators have enjoyed. The...
30 September 2020
TAPOL and ETAN Letter to UK and US Ambassadors to UN on Anniversary of 30 September Movement
HE Dame Barbara Woodward,
Permanent Representative
United Kingdom Mission to the UN
New York, NY
and
HE Kelly Craft
Permanent Representative
United States Mission to the UN New York, NY
30 September 2020
Dear Ambassadors,
We write to you on the fifty-fifth anniversary of the so-called September 30th movement (G30S) in Indonesia. The movement, which led to the mass killing of hundreds of thousands of...
30 September 2020
THE 2019 WEST PAPUA UPRISING: FULL REPORT
London, 30 September 2020
TAPOL, in collaboration with human rights lawyer Veronica Koman, has today published an extensive report on the 2019 West Papua Uprising ('the Uprising') on the anniversary of its last day in 2019. The written report is supplemented with a short video.
The report, summarised in an executive summary, is a compilation of analyses and stories focusing on the human rights violations committed during the Uprising, including the racism which triggered it and the impunity which its perpetrators have enjoyed. The...
23 September 2020
TAPOL condemns the killing of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani, a church leader from Hitadipa District, Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Province. It has been reported that Pastor Zanambani was killed by members of the Indonesian military (TNI) on Saturday, 19th of September. Pastor Zanambani was found dead near his pig pen, 300 meters from his home, with bullet and stab wounds.
According to various reports, tensions in the area had increased since Saturday 18th September after an Indonesian soldier was killed by unknown individuals. The Indonesian military claims that the West Papuan National...
19 August 2020
PRESS RELEASE
THE 2019 WEST PAPUA UPRISING IN SUMMARY
(London, 19 August 2020) Today marks the first anniversary of the West Papua Uprising. The Uprising swept across 22 towns in West Papua, 17 cities in Indonesia, and 3 cities overseas during the period of 19 August to 30 September 2019.
The trigger of the Uprising was the racist persecution of West Papuan students in the Indonesian cities of Malang on 15 August, in Surabaya on 16 and 17 August, and in Semarang on 18 August 2019. The most significant of these incidents was, however, the incidents in Surabaya where...
12 August 2020
London, 12th August 2020
Surveillance, intimidation and harassment, protest dispersals, torture, arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial killings continued in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, and in Indonesia more broadly, as the state tried to crack down on the contentious issue of West Papua’s self-determination in 2019. Alarmingly, the Indonesian Government also used new tactics such as internet shutdown and cyber-attacks during the anti-racism protests and riots which culminated in the ‘West Papuan Uprising’ in August and September 2019.
Last year, the...
12 August 2020
Between August and September 2019, students, political activists and civilians held mass demonstrations in West Papua, and in Indonesia, against racism and in favour of West Papuan self-determination. These events, collectively known as the ‘West Papua Uprising’ were triggered by racism from state security ser- vices and nationalist groups directed against West Papuan students in Java during August 2019. This led to an exodus of West Papuan students who returned from other provinces in Indonesia to West Papua.
The Indonesian Government responded to the West Papua Uprising by...
03 August 2020
(Monday, August 3, 2020) TAPOL and Papuans Behind Bars were deeply saddened to hear that our dear friend and colleague, Ganius Wenda, passed away today, August 3rd 2020 in Jayapura, West Papua.
Ganius Wenda was a young lawyer and a highly valued member of the West Papuan legal community. At the time of his death, he had been working as a legal advocate for West Papuan Political Prisoners for two years. In his final case, Ganius Wenda was part of the legal team that defended the West Papuan Political Prisoners, known as the ‘Balikpapan Seven’ earlier this year.
Genius Wenda...
18 June 2020
“It is my fervent wish that future generations uphold the principles of political freedoms, peace and anti-militarism”
(London, 18 June 2020)
Ninety-five years ago today Carmel Brickman was born in London, later taking her Indonesian husband's last name to become Carmel Budiardjo. Having been an activist since a young age as a student, she carried on to set up TAPOL in 1973 on her release as a political prisoner in Indonesia. TAPOL carries on her legacy.
Happy birthday, Carmel!
The Right Livelihood Award's tribute on Carmel’s...
17 June 2020
(London, 17 June 2020) TAPOL regrets the sentencing of seven West Papuan political prisoners today in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan province. The Seven were arrested in early September 2019 and accused of being the masterminds behind the ‘West Papua Uprising’, mass anti-racism protests in August and September last year. Prosecutors demanded that harsh prison sentences should be handed to the Seven, which has caused a rise in tensions in recent weeks in West Papua. However, judges took a different view and displayed more leniency:
Buchtar Tabuni was sentenced to 11 months in prison...
11 June 2020
Join TAPOL and ETAN in a LIVE WEBINAR exploring the consequences of a racist justice system for political activists in West Papua. Please see the invitation attached for details about how to join!
About the Webinar
The anti-racism movement is sweeping across the globe, inspired by Black Lives Matter in the United States. The activism has resonated in Indonesia with the emergence of the Papuan Lives Matter movement. Both the current uprising in Minneapolis and in West Papua last year were triggered by recorded incidents of racist police violence.
Last week Indonesian...
03 June 2020
TAPOL condemns the demand by Prosecutors seeking seventeen and five years imprisonment respectively, for West Papuan activists Buchtar Tabuni and Irwanus Uropmabin.
On June 2, the Jayapura District Prosecutor's Office issued a 33 pages charges against the defendant Irwanus Uropmabin. In the document, the Public Prosecutor concluded that Irwanus Uropmabin was proven to have violated Article 106 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code, and stipulated a five-year prison sentence.
Irwanus is a student activist, arrested on 11 September 2019 for...