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Summary : Freedom of expression stifled in Papua: Activists and NGO's

Photo Deceased Autonomy, Papua Special Autonomy Rejection
Papua,-- The Papuan Coalition of Civil Society Upholding Law and Human Rights has accused the authorities of stifling freedom of expression in Papua.

"Demonstration as an expression of opinion in Papua has been muzzled. People assembling in a place are even arrested let alone staging a demonstration. That is what has happened in the past several months in Sorong, West Papua, and now in Jayapura," Ferry Marisan, a member of the coalition, told reporters in Jayapura on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Ferry was referring to the arrest last week of a number of students demonstrating to reject a draft law on special autonomy at the complex of the Papuan People Assembly (Majelis Rakyat Papua) and at the campus of Cenderawasih University.Olga Helena Hamadi from Papua Kontras, an NGO concerned mainly on the disappearance of activists, said lately police in Papua had become more repressive instead of persuasive.

 

Police meet Cendrawasih student rally with force

The police forcibly dispersed a student mass rally held in front of Cendrawasih University campus in Waena, Jayapura, Papua province, on Wednesday.

The decision was made after the rally blocked off the only access route into the campus, thus disrupting studying activities.

The police arrested Buchtar Tabuni, former head of the West Papua National Committee, who was spotted at the rally.

Orginal News: The Jakarta Post News

Students stage rally to protest Papua autonomy plus draft 

Dozens of Cendrawasih University students staged a mass rally to protest the Papua autonomy plus draft currently being considered by the provincial administration. The students argued that the draft didn't take into account the interests of the people.

“The draft accommodates only the interests of the elite. The people have been left out of the deliberations, therefore we demand they be halted,” rally coordinator Alfa Rohromana said on Tuesday.

Commenting on the draft, Rev. Benny Giay from the Kingmi Kemah Injili Church, who was also on site, said none of the government’s initiatives on Papua had sought to include the public in the dialogue process.

More Orginal News: The Jakarta Post

 NGOs describe tight muzzling of expression in West Papua

The Papuan Coalition of Civil Society Upholding Law and Human Rights has accused Indonesian authorities of stifling freedom of expression in West Papua.

The Jakarta Post reports that a coalition member, Ferry Marisan, says that events in recent months show that in West Papua the demonstration as an expression of opinion has been strictly muzzled.

This follows the arrests last week of dozens of students demonstrating against a draft law on special autonomy at the Papuan People Assembly as well as the campus of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura

Mr Marisan says repression by authorities of freedom of expression is a continuation of the old policy in Indonesia under the former dictator, President Suharto.
 
More Orginal Nesw: Radio New Zeland Internasional
 
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