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| Protestors behind bars in Melbourne |
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| Demonstrators outside the Indonesian embassy in Lonon |
April 4, 2014 .On 2nd April People around the world demonstrated in solidarity with
over 70 political prisoners currently being held in West Papua.
Demonstrations took place in Jayapura, London, Melbourne, Brisbane,
Wellington, Auckland, the Hague and Edinburgh. The demonstrations were a
huge success, giving hope to the prisoners, reminding them that they
have not been forgotten and sending a clear message to the Indonesian
government that the world condones the imprisonment of so many people
just for standing up for their right to freedom.
People across the world wore placards representing 76 political prisoners
currently behind bars. The demonstrators had tape over their mouths to
represent the denial of freedom of speech in Papua and wrists handcuffed
together. Banners called for the release of the prisoners and
highlighted the fact that political arrests in Papua had doubled from
2012 to 2013. The visual impact of the demonstrations received press
coverage in New Zealand, Australia, across the Pacific and crucially in
Indonesia itself.
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Armed police turn up to forcibly disperse the demonstration in West Papua
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A large demonstration took to the streets of Jayapura (the capital of
West Papua) in a further show of solidarity. The demonstration began
peacefully but was violently dispersed by large numbers of armed police
who taunted the crowd by calling them ‘monkeys’ before firing shots. Two
protesters, Alvares Kapisa and Yally Wenda, were arrested and badly
beaten with one of them requiring stitches. The Indonesian police meting
out exactly the sort of treatment the demonstrators were peacefully
protestng against. The two have since been released.
The following message was received from prisoners in Abepura prison
in response to the global demonstrations of solidarity today:
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| Two Papuan demonstrators were arrested and badly beaten |
“We have been imprisoned because of our peaceful actions in the
struggle to have the Papua nation’s sovereignty returned that was
annexed into Indonesia in the 1960s. We are extremely grateful to all
who continue to support us in international solidarity especially your
actions this day to uphold truth, justice, democracy and human rights.
Your support in solidarity in any form helps us so much to make reality
the hopes of our ancestors for our people to finally be free and
independent.”
Ian Okoka, a Melbourne-based Papuan independence activist, said: “Papuans are losing their right to freely express themselves and many have fled to the jungle for fear of being put in jail.
“Papuans who are seeking independence for Papua through peaceful
means are facing threats of arrest and violent intimidation by security
forces. Often those arrested, are charged with treason or incitement
which can carry lengthy prison sentences.”
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| Protestors behind bars in Melbourne |
According to updates published by the Papuan Behind Bars
monitoring collective, political prisoners in West Papua are frequently
tortured and forced to confess. Most are beaten and they are often
subject to cruel and degrading treatment such as having their heads
shaved, being forced to beat one another, and being denied food and
medical treatment.
Severe restrictions on international organizations and foreign media
working in West Papua mean that many abuses take place in secret and
independent reporting is almost impossible. This is a serious concern in
a territory that is reported to host one of the highest concentrations
of security forces in the world.
“If Indonesia has nothing to hide in West Papua, then why aren’t journalists and international organisations allowed in?” said Paul Barber, TAPOL’s Coordinator. “The 76 political prisoners in Papua can no longer be hidden from the world.”
Both Peter Tatchell and Benny Wenda spoke powerfully at the London
demonstration. Benny spoke about his experiences of being in held in
terrible conditions in prison in West Papua before he escaped to exile
in the UK. He told how he got messages of support from around the world
in his prison cell and the international attention he received gave him
hope and forced the guards to move him from a cell full of excrement to
better conditions and remove his handcuffs. On behalf of all the people
of West Papua he thanked everyone who took to the streets to show
solidarity with and give hope to the prisoners in West Papua.