A Papuan right-wing activist has urged the Indonesian government to respond honestly and transparently to United Nations special rapporteurs seeking explanations for accusations of state violence, torture and enforced disappearances in the troubled region.

“Such actions are still taking place and more people are suffering,” said Theo Hesegem, executive director of the Papua Justice and Human Integrity Foundation, on February 22.

He was speaking following the leak last week of a document from the Ministry of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs to officials in response to the UN request.

It included a letter to the Indonesian government signed by Jose Francisco Cali Tzay, special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Morris Tidball-Binz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, special rapporteur on the rights human rights of internally displaced persons.

They said they had received allegations of several cases of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture and inhuman treatment as well as forced displacement of indigenous Papuans.

They mentioned cases such as the death of a two-year-old child and the injury of a six-year-old child after he was shot dead in a shootout between security forces and the West Papua Liberation Army. in Sugapa, Intan Jaya district on October 21. 26, 2021.

Growing number of internally displaced villagers reportedly causing undetermined number of deaths

Also mentioned was the case in Sugapa of Samuel Kobogau, 31, who was reported as a victim of enforced disappearance by soldiers and whose fate has been unknown since October 5, 2021.

They also asked for clarification on the growing number of internally displaced people – estimated at between 60,000 and 100,000 – due to the conflict which has spread to at least seven districts in Papua.

“The increasing number of internally displaced villagers is believed to have caused an unknown number of villager deaths due to lack of food and medical care and weather conditions,” the document said.

Hesegem said the government must respond, follow up and clarify these allegations at the UN to ensure it receives a true picture of the Papuan situation.

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“The government should immediately clarify and convey an honest and transparent explanation to the United Nations Human Rights Council so that there is no black mark against Indonesia and that the families of the victims and the indigenous peoples Papuans are not ignored,” he told UCA News.

He said UN officials sent the request because “they had credible information from Papua”.

“As such, the Indonesian government should not try to cover up such crimes or pretend they don’t happen,” Hesegem said.

He said that on February 17 last year he gave the names of 243 people who had died as a result of human rights violations in Nduga district to officials at the presidential secretariat in Jakarta, but the coordinating minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, refused to accept it. and questioned its authenticity although various credible sources were cited.

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