On January 20, at least 1000 students in Yahukimo, Papua province held a protest demanding the Indonesian forces camped on the school premises to move out, Union of Catholic Asian News reported. Following clashes among tribes and between Indonesian security forces and the Papua Independence Organization (OPM) back in October, Indonesia
In his December 7 statement, ULMWP Interim President Benny Wenda called for the immediate release of the eight peaceful student demonstrators, and one elderly woman, that Indonesian police arrested, tortured, and charged with ‘treason’ for waving the Morning Star flag in Jayapura on West Papua’s Independence Day (December 1). Wenda also
On December 18th, the families of Papuan victims acclaimed their rejection of the investigation team formed by Indonesia’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG), which is tasked with re-investigating the Bloody Paniai Case. Formed on December 3rd the team will re-investigate the gross human rights violations that took place in Papua’s Paniai regency on the 8th– one of Indonesia’s many gruesome killings that
On February 9, West Papuan Interim President Benny Wanda warned of new plans by the Indonesian government to divide the West Papuan territory into three provinces, the Morning Star U.K. reported. As another 450 troops arrived to ‘violently enforce its policies,’ the new plans to partition the region are part
Incident reports of Rohingya Refugees being trafficked or smuggled have concerningly increased last month, as multiple news sources from surrounding countries including Thailand and Malaysia announce respective crackdowns. Police General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, Thailand’s deputy national police chief, stated last month that dozens of accused Thai officers were prosecuted for their
A report published by the International Rescue Committee on 17th December (IRC) details a severe mental health crisis affecting at least 15,000 refugees entrapped for years in the 32-hectare Kara Tepe camps on the Greek island of Lesvos. Accounts of severe mental health conditions, including depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
On Tuesday, Nov. 24, leftist leaders and activists from the Makabayan bloc challenged the Duterte government to back their claims of red-tagging with “credible and admissible proof,” in response to the recent Senate hearing on the government’s red-tagging practices. Three weeks ago, the bloc has refuted allegations accusing their members
In a September 17 resolution, the European Parliament pushed for immediate trade sanctions against the Philippines in response to the Duterte administration’s deteriorating human rights violations. Citing the reinstatement of the death penalty, LGBT and indigenous people’s human rights abuses, and the reinstatement of private and state0backed paramilitary groups, the
International Middle East Media Center reported on Thursday that the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip demanded accountability from Israel for the relentless human rights violations, crimes, raids, assaults and abuses it continues to commit against the occupied Palestinian territories – especially in the light of the recent surge in
On July 4, 2020, the spokesperson for the National Committee of West Papua (KNB), Victor Yeimo repudiated a unilateral deliberation of the West Papua autonomy bill in Indonesia’s House of Representatives. Indigenous Papuans – the subject of this bill – were not included in the discussion. Sixteen groups in Papua
On April 28, a global committee of legal scholars released the document “Human Mobility and Human Rights in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Principles of Protection for Migrants, Refugees, and Other Displaced Persons.” In response to this record time of crisis, states across the globe have taken harsh and unprecedented measures against
Despite the mounting threats and costs that the coronavirus pandemic has devastated the globe with, pro-military lobbying and government investments on nuclear weaponry persist unabatedly worldwide. However, in an uplifting attempt to curb the global wave of military prioritization, three former U.K. Royal Navy Commanders sent a letter to
On Wednesday, 19 February 2020, women’s rights groups condemned the Cambodian government’s crackdown on women who wear provocative clothing while selling goods via live Facebook streams. The crackdown was sanctioned by Prime Minister (PM) Hun Sen’s derogatory threats. He condemned such behaviour as “a violation of our culture and tradition,”
On February 14, women marched to the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, covering the door in fake blood and the Spanish message “Femicide State” as they demanded justice for the gruesome killing of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla. Stabbed to death by her husband, then skinned to cover up the crime; images
Being the latest in a series of connections between Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, the construction of a China-funded hydropower dam in South Pulangi threatens 20 indigenous communities in Southern Mindanao. Located about three hours north of Davao
On January 13, the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) sent an official letter to the mayor of Depok which criticized the issued regulation ordering routine raids against the town’s LGBT community, commissioner Beka Ulang Hapsan reported in her written statement. Mayor Mohammad Idris asked police to search properties,
On 1 January 2020, Canada’s Federal Indigenous Child Welfare Bill (C-92), an “Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families,” especially the ways in which they can now exercise their inherent jurisdiction over children in their communities, kicked into effect amidst funding, planning, and oversight criticism. Recognizing
Russia, backed by China, cast its 14th Security Council veto this Friday, effectively blocking cross-border aid deliveries from Turkey and Iraq to millions of Syrian civilians. Having been in effect since 2014, the resolution would have extended aid through three checkpoints – two in Turkey and one in Iraq –
On December 10, the White House blocked the planned United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting that was intended to refocus attention on North Korea’s human rights violations, making it the second year in a row that the U.S. has taken a dismissive stance on the longstanding issue. Set to coincide
On 5th December, the proposed regressive abortion law in Slovakia was rejected following a Parliamentary vote. The draft legislation required women seeking abortion care to undergo a mandatory ultrasound scanning, to view and obtain the embryo or foetus’ ultrasound image, and where technically possible, to listen to its heartbeat. Furthermore,
