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RI faces scrutiny over Papua at tail end of UN summitry
Indonesia has found itself included on a list of 45 countries cited as being culpable of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders seeking to cooperate with the United Nations, according to an annual report from the UN Secretary General’s Office.
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This handout photo taken and released by the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Sept. 3, 2021 shows soldiers carrying coffins of comrades in Sorong, in Indonesia's Papua region after at least four soldiers were killed and two others wounded in an ambush by guerillas on a military outpost. (AFP/TNI)
T
he government faced more international scrutiny of its activities in Papua as the United Nations capped a whirlwind of multilateral diplomatic activities, even as conflict continued to simmer in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces.
Indonesia regularly receives criticism for its strategy in relation to separatist groups in Papua, a strategy that relies heavily on a security-based approach and which has raised questions about the government’s commitment to human rights.
Most recently, the nation found itself included on a list of 45 countries cited as being culpable of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders seeking to cooperate with the UN, according to an annual report from the UN Secretary General’s Office distributed on Sept. 17.
Between May 2020 and April this year, five individuals seeking to cooperate with UN human rights agencies – Wensislaus Fatubun, Yones Douw, Victor Mambor, Veronica Koman and Victor Yeimo – were “subject to threats, harassment and surveillance by government, non-state and private actors, including business enterprises and local political actors,” the report said.
It included in its appendix an acknowledgement that the government responded to a note sent verbally in connection with the report, affirming Indonesia’s position as of Aug. 12 condemning intimidation and reprisals for cooperating with the UN, including human rights defenders.
However, Jakarta rejected the allegation that Yeimo was arrested for his cooperation with the UN, stating that his case “strictly concerned his alleged involvement in the incitement of mass riots [...] on Aug. 19, 2019 and his advocacy of separatism and secession”.
The report is currently being discussed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, with Indonesia preparing a response later this week, according to a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry.
