Jayapura, Jubi – Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan on Monday (25/4/2016) led a coordination meeting on alleged human rights violations in Papua and Papua Barat provinces.
The meeting was held at the meeting room of the Political Ministry’s office and attended by Indonesian Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw and Papua Barat Police Chief Brigadier General Royke Lumawa and Papua human right defenders
In response to the efforts to resolve the human rights issues in Papua, the awardee of the international award for human rights from Canada, John Humphrey Freedom Award 2015, Yan Warinusi said a resolution to gross human rights violations and contradiction of history and construction of political identity between Papua and Jakarta should become urgent issues, and should be a concern and responsibility of President Joko Widodo and his administration to resolve it.
Trust Building
“It is very important step that should be taken by President Widodo to restore public trust as well as the international community who continue to highlight human rights violations in Papua which cannot be solved for decades in accordance with Indonesian law,” said Warinusi.
He further said trust building is an absolute condition that should be created in this settlement process. Therefore, President Jokowi must issue a written instruction to the National Human Rights Commission and Indonesian General Attorney to immediately execute their task in accordance with the Law. For example, towards some cases that occurred before the Law No. 39 Year 199 about human rights and the Law No. 26 Year 2000 about human rights court, therefore the mechanism is clear that is should be taken to the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court, which needs the investigation of human rights violations from National Human Rights and Indonesian General Attorney for legal action. Meanwhile towards the human rights violations occurred after year 2000, such as Wasior 2001, Wamena 2003 and Enarotali-Paniai of 8 December 2014, it needs enforcement and assurance towards President Widodo to provide the widest access for the National Human Rights and Indonesian General Attorney to optimally work in revealing and taking the human rights violation suspects to the trial before an independent and impartial human rights court.
It is not only be terminated until the court, but in the future the Indonesian Government must be able to give a legal assurance towards a clear political policy to stop the (severe) human rights violations perpetrated by State through security personnel (both Police and Military).
“It could be applied by enforcing the elimination of security/military operations that enable the mobilization of security personnel (Police and Military) in the massive number, either it was part of open or closed security operations,” said Yan Warinusi.
This trust building issue becomes a concern of civil society group who involved in the process of documentation on human rights violations in Papua. The government must show good intention to solve the human right violations in Papua.
“Coalition for human right violations gives recommendation that three cases of Wasior, Wamena and Paniai should be settled by the government in 2016. It is to build a trust. If the government could solve these three cases, we can move to another cases,” said Frits Ramandey about the recommendation by Coalition for Human Rights Violations in Papua towards the government through the Coordination Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs.
Neutral Party in Need
Separately, Papua human right defender Pastor John Jonga thought the settlement of the human rights issue in Papua needs a neutral party, because it is not wise to involve the parties such as security forces who have been accused of being perpetrators of human rights violations.
“I wonder and think it is funny because the perpetrators are mostly them (security personnel). But there might be an awareness from the Minister or Papua Police Chief considered to human right violations during the time,” Pastor Djonga told Jubi on Tuesday (26/4/2016).
He also criticizes the process as unserious process. Because to settle the human rights violations in Papua that was occurred since 1960s to 2016 could not merely done through one or two days discussion. The State must be more serious to explore the human rights violations issues from the highland to the coastal area, from the sea to the mountains and from any situations and conditions in Papua.
Djonga further said Papua is a big island, so it’s not easy to solve the violations occurred for decades, it could not easy and fast to explore the human rights violations from the sixties only with three days discussion, it is considered as carelessly work.
“I thought the discussion is positive, but the time is too short and it should be more serious. For me, the reason of State conducted this event was to show to the world that the Indonesian Government was fighting, protected and respected the human rights in Papua,” he said.
He also highlighted the human rights activists who involved in the meeting, that on his point of view, they should be capable to provide feedback instead of conducting a meeting or exploring the human rights violations in Papua. In addition, the Central Government also need to appoint a neutral person who can be trusted by any parties to resolve the human rights issues in Papua, because the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs have harmed the Papuan people.
Political Approach and Human Rights Trial
After the coordination meeting on the alleged human rights violations in Papua and Papua Barat provinces led by the Minister Pandjaitan on Monday, Coalition for human rights violations member Matius Murib who involved in the meeting said the coalition currently endorses the government to urge the Indonesian Human Rights Commission to settle the cases of Mapenduma 1996 and Biak 1998 through political approach at the Indonesian House of Representative.
“Wasior 2001 and Wamena 2003 as well as Paniai 2014 must be settled through Human Rights Trial in 2016. The government has showed good intention and being open, so the human rights defenders should be unite and mutually gather the facts and data for advocacy,” said Murib.
Papua Police Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw confirmed that three alleged human rights cases to be recommended are Wasior 2001, Wamena 2003 and Paniai 2014.
“Although these cases have been recommended but until now the team is still not completing the data because it might not possible to take this case to the trial,” said Chief Waterpauw.
He further admitted the team led by the Chief of National Human Rights Commission Papua Representative is still in Jakarta and completing the supporting documents. According to him, three cases were recommended because of sufficient data and further the National Human Rights Commission has formed the ad hoc team, so it becomes priority to be followed up.
However, the Indonesian Police Chief Badrodin Haiti told reporters that Wamena and Wasior cases would be solved through political approach, because both cases were occurred before the authorization of the Law on Human Rights Trial, namely the Law No. 26 Year 2001.
“It settlement would be executed by the government and Indonesian House of Representative. Currently, the Indonesian Human Rights Commission is handling the investigation on the two cases while the Indonesian General Attorney would conduct the charge. The two cases with 12 human rights violations would become priorities to be solved,” said the chief. (Victor Mambor/rom)
