Amnesty International
News Release - December 15, 2011
- Indonesia: Another protester dies amidst the tense situation at Freeport - Asian Human Rights Commission Urgent Appeal. December 15, 2011
- Indonesia: In high-level meeting Amnesty International calls for human rights accountability in Papua - Amnesty International Public Statement. December 6, 2011
- Two councils in Sydney will raise the West Papuan flag on their town Halls for 1st December - Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) Media release. November 30, 2011
- Statement to the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights - By Paul Barber, TAPOL . November 29, 2011
- Dr Neles Tebay statement on West Papua to the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights - November 29, 2011
Filep Karma, 52,
is one of the individuals Amnesty International supporters across the globe
have chosen for the Write for Rights campaign, one of the largest letter
writing campaigns ever undertaken. Hundreds of thousands of people have
been writing letters, signing petitions, sending SMS messages and taking
action online since 3 December to demand justice for Filep Karma and 13
other cases from a range of countries including Mexico, Nigeria, Russia,
Sri Lanka, Turkey, USA and Zimbabwe.
At least 90 prisoners
of conscience are currently imprisoned for peaceful political protests
or possessing, raising or waving the prohibited regional flags of Maluku
and Papua. Amnesty International calls on the Indonesian government to
immediately and unconditionally release Filep Karma and all other prisoners
of conscience in Indonesia, and to repeal, or at least re-interpret "makar"
provisions to stop the imprisonment of non- violent political activists.
"Amnesty International
was founded on the idea that people united can shine a light on injustice
and create momentum for change," said Donna Guest, Amnesty International's
Asia-Pacific Deputy Director.
"Hundreds of thousands
of people from across the world are sending a clear message to the Indonesian
government that they must uphold the right to free speech and immediately
and unconditionally release Filep Karma and all other prisoners who are
solely imprisoned for having peacefully expressed their views."
Filep Karma, a
former civil servant, was one of 200 people who took part in a peaceful
ceremony in Abepura, Papua province, on 1 December 2004. Police responded
to the raising of the banned "Morning Star" flag by firing warning shots
and beating people with batons. Filep Karma was arrested at the site of
the ceremony. Police reportedly beat him on the way to the police station.
He was subsequently charged with "makar" ("rebellion"), which prescribes
punishments of life imprisonment or a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment.
On 26 May 2005, Filep Karma was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.
Amnesty International
takes no position whatsoever on the political status of any province of
Indonesia, including calls for independence. However the organisation believes
that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully
advocate referendums, independence or any other political solutions that
do not involve incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
The prohibited
regional flags are first and foremost symbols for peaceful pro-independence
or pro-autonomy movements in Indonesia and often simply reflect local communities'
identities. They do not feature any "violent" logo or message in themselves,
nor do they symbolize or imply violence. Thus the mere act of raising them
is not a "violent" or "disruptive" act but a peaceful act.
The International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a
state party, and the Indonesian Constitution guarantee the rights to freedom
of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly. While the Indonesian
government has the duty and the right to maintain public order, it must
ensure that any restrictions to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly
are no more than is permitted under international human rights law.
See also:
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