News
Remembering KNPB leader Martinus Yohame
August 26, 2020
Today we remember peaceful KNPB leader Martinus Yohame who was abducted tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Indonesian government between 20-26th August 2014. His body was found was found floating in a sack in the sea. His hands and feet had been tied together, his dreadlocks pulled out, his head crushed and his body riddled […]
‘Balikpapan 7’ political prisoners released from jail
August 23, 2020
The last of seven Papuan activists have been released from a detention center in Indonesian Borneo after serving a sentence on charges of treason for protesting against racism and calling for a referendum on independence. The seven men were given a heroes welcome on their return to Jayapura, West Papua. In June, the Balikpapan District […]
Tapol report on first anniversary of West Papua uprising
August 19, 2020
Press release from human rights NGO Tapol 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 […]
West Papuan refugees shot dead by Indonesian military
July 22, 2020
Originally published in the Jakarta Post Two men, Elias Karungu and Selu Karungu, from the conflict-prone Nduga regency in West Papua, were fatally shot by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel on Saturday. Locals claimed the two were displaced civilians, while the Indonesian Military claimed the two were members of an armed group. The father and son […]
A referendum, not ‘autonomy’, is the only solution in West Papua
July 11, 2020
Statement from Benny Wenda, Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) — For over 50 years, Indonesia has been promising West Papua ‘autonomy’. Each time, underneath autonomy lies only bullets and killings. As the 2001 Special Autonomy law expires this year, the United Liberation Movement and all the people of West Papua are united […]
West Papua freedom song features on new album Keleketla!
July 8, 2020
A song featuring West Papua independence leader Benny Wenda has been released on a new album. Keleketla! is an expansive collaborative project, reaching outward from Johannesburg to London, Lagos, Los Angeles and West Papua. “Keleketla!” started as a musical meeting ground between Ninja Tune co-founders Coldcut and a cadre of South African musicians, including the […]
Al Jazeera report on fraud and human rights abuses in West Papua land grabs
July 7, 2020
Al Jazeera has broadcast an investigative report produced in collaboration with Mongabay, The Gecko Project and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism. It reveals how Korean-run companies are engaging in fraudulent deals and human rights abuses as they buy up rainforests in West Papua, forcing locals off their land to develop palm oil plantations. Watch […]
New book on West Papua – The Road by John Martinkus
July 2, 2020
John Martinkus, a four-time Walkley-nominated investigative reporter who previously covered the massacres in East Timor, has released a new book about the ongoing struggle for freedom in West Papua. Chemical weapons deployed. Choppers taken out. Communications repressed. Tens of thousands of people displaced. The West Papuan independence movement has reignited, and Indonesian troops are cracking […]
West Papuan activists convicted of treason after anti-racism protests
June 17, 2020
Originally published in The Guardian Seven Papuan activists have been found guilty of treason and sentenced to up to 11 months in prison for their involvement in anti-racism rallies in West Papua last year, a verdict that has been condemned by human rights groups. The men, known as the “Balikpapan Seven”, were convicted over protests […]
Benny Wenda speaks at Black Lives Matter rally in London
June 13, 2020
Yesterday West Papuan Independence Leader Benny Wenda the Chairman of The United Liberation Movement for West Papua – ULMWP spoke at the #BlackLivesMatter rally in London, UK about West Papua’s freedom struggle. “I’m here exiled, Indonesia put me 25 years in prison just for standing up, fighting for justice and freedom for my people. Just like Nelson Mandela, Martin Lither King, […]