A Silent Genocide in West Papua
This week, on May 1st, marked the anniversary of the over half a century long occupation of West Papua by Indonesian forces. The occupation, which began in 1953 with a day labelled as the “Day of Terror”, has since been characterised by a campaign of violence, torture, and ultimately genocide, seeing over half a million West Papuans killed.
West Papua has had a complicated history: in short, the region was a former Dutch colony that declared independence in 1961, but was shortly after invaded by Indonesian forces who had declared their own independence from the Netherlands in 1949. Whilst the Dutch had recognised West Papua’s cultural differences from Indonesia, leading to their initial independence claim, Indonesia nevertheless sought to take control of former colonies in the Asia-Pacific region. The occupation has led to an undeniable genocide and forced displacement, with many exiled to neighbouring Papua New Guinea. West Papuans have been subject to widespread torture and sexual assault, a common weapon used by the Indonesian military and police, and have been denied basic human rights including freedom of expression. Anyone found to be criticising Indonesian rule will be subject to persecution by the police, often resulting in imprisonment, as shown last year when 2000 people were arrested for demonstrating peacefully against the regime. Over the years, hundreds of political prisoners have been held under similar charges, including for simply being a member of an organisation that calls for independence. In prisons, torture is common and many detainees suffer health problems that often go untreated or ignored.
From the early days of occupation, West Papua has suffered not only human rights abuses, but that of the environment, as land is exploited for resource extraction, namely for gold mining, logging, agricultural and biofuel interests. The careless methods adopted have resulted in poisoning of water systems, land erosion and pollution from production. Consequently, thousands of people have been forcefully displaced from their indigenous lands to make way for further exploitation of the region.
Genocide is defined by the UN as ‘acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group,’ defined as among other conditions acts of killing members of the group, action which causes serious bodily or mental harm, and action which deliberately inflicts on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction. The international law convention establishes that those found guilty of committing genocide are subject to punitive measures. As the Indonesian military has engaged in documented killings and violence, this clearly falls under the first category. Furthermore, reports of torture, beatings and imprisonment reinforces the classification under action causing bodily or mental harm. Even the environmental degradation has systematically altered West Papuan society, undermining governance and self-determination of the indigenous population. Reports have also highlighted that Indonesian forces regularly deny medical treatment with much of the population failing to receive basic health care. In combination, by committing such acts against the West Papuans, the Indonesian Government has therefore undertaken calculated action that could bring about the group’s physical destruction, thus highlighting that forces are indeed committing genocide.
Whilst the Indonesian government continues to insist that its record is improving, investigations into human rights abuses are rare and perpetrators are often met with impunity. Furthermore, the area has become virtually impossible to access for international journalists and NGOs, with key agencies such as the International Red Cross and the Peace Brigades being forced to leave the country. A lack of media access in the area no doubt affects the awareness of the ongoing conflict, and as a result international outcry and action has been very limited. Despite the crimes that have been committed in the region, the international community has taken little action to resolve the situation or to draw attention to actions, which are clearly in contravention of international law.
Earlier this week, on the anniversary of the occupation, over 200 Papuans were arrested, including journalists, some of whom were tortured. Ironically, this took place just two days ahead of World Press Freedom Day which this year is being hosted in Jakarta, highlighting the hypocrisy of the Indonesian Government. Ahead of this week, pressure mounts from organisations like Human Rights Watch, pushing the Government to act to protect journalists and ensure media freedom across the country and in its occupied regions. It has also been an opportunity for campaigners to bring attention to the situation in West Papua, and demonstrate growing opposition towards the violent occupation.
Now, support is rising for the Free West Papua Campaign, which seeks to bring self-determination to West Papua, encouraging the UN to enforce an Independence Referendum. West Papua’s plight is therefore slowly starting to reach international campaign groups as it reports regularly the injustices and violence the people and their land are subject to every day. In 2016, a positive step was reached as a meeting took place in Westminster bringing together Pacific leaders and NGOs to show their support for West Papua’s future as a free and independent state. Nevertheless, there is still much more to be done to guarantee West Papuan Independence and to ensure that Indonesian forces can be held accountable for their crimes of genocide. As an interim step, more awareness, action and support from the international community is necessary.
To learn more about the campaign and to add your support visit the website here: https://www.freewestpapua.org/
Images from Wikimedia Commons
