Peter Alford, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's officials insist that soldiers responsible for a vicious torture incident in West Papua will be brought to justice.

Nine Papuans arrested and charged in Jayawijaya in Indonesia's Papua last month on subversion charges are experiencing difficulties in finding a defence lawyer.

They were arrested for raising the Morning Star flag and are in custody at the Wamena District Police station.

Jakarta – Australian Ambassador Greg Moriarty has been ordered to raise his nation's concerns about Indonesia's stalled investigation into the alleged torture of two Papuans by members of the military, a media report said on Friday.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Hundreds of inmates at the Abepura Penitentiary in Papua rioted on Friday to protest over the shooting of a fellow prisoner who escaped and was killed in a raid the same day.

AHRC-UAC-176-2010

Dear friends,

According to reports received from local activists, two villagers were killed in Bolakme, Papua, Indonesia during a sweeping operation by the security forces on December 1, 2010.

Case narrative:

Nivell Rayda & Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta – At least one person has been reportedly killed in raids in Papua as the military steps up its search for members of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM), which marked its 45th anniversary on Wednesday.

Ismira Lutfia, Jakarta – Human Rights Watch on Thursday chastised the media for propagating misleading news that five soldiers caught on tape torturing two Papuan men had been summarily court-martialed.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A man was shot dead and four others, including a child, were injured by unidentified armed men on Sunday in Nafri village, Abepura, outside the Papuan capital.

Reports from Papua in Indonesia say unidentified gunmen have shot at traffic outside Jayapura, killing a motorcyclist and injuring six others, including a nine-year child in a public bus.

Paula Makabori from the Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights says the victims in Sunday morning's attack were mainly Indonesians.

Camelia Pasandaran, Jakarta – Bringing down the high cost of living in Papua, which is paradoxically the country's least-developed province, is a key factor in boosting development there, the government says.

The matter was raised on Tuesday at a meeting between Vice President Boediono and Gamawan Fauzi, the home affairs minister.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Human Rights Watch on Monday lambasted the government for failing to prosecute five soldiers allegedly caught on tape torturing two Papuan civilians, even after one of the victims came forward to recount his ordeal.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – A prominent international human rights group has agreed to advocate for the release of Filep Samuel Karma, a Papuan political prisoner who was jailed in 2005 for raising the banned Morning Star flag.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived in Papua on Sunday to meet with the local administration on regional revenue and to open a national university student body conference, steering clear of the thorny issue of human rights violations.

Jakarta – Nine people have been arrested after an outlawed separatist flag was raised in Papua, police said on Sunday.

Indonesia – A series of conflicts sparked by a racist mobile phone ringtone will not affect a visit by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Jayapura, Papua.

"President Yudhoyono will continue to visit Jayapura from Nov. 21-22 despite the recent conflicts," Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Bekto Suprapto said Saturday.

Jayapura, Papua – Security conditions in Jayapura, Papua, ahead of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)'s visit on Sunday (Nov 21), are quite conducive, the region's military chief of the Cendrawasih Military Command Brig. Gen. Erfy Triassunu said here Saturday.

Once again, the authorities are sitting on their hands rather than fulfilling their obligations and proactively identifying and prosecuting the soldiers responsible. Kiwo has shown tremendous bravery in coming forward – he deserves justice and protection from retaliation, not another half-hearted army investigation and cover-up.

Nivell Rayda & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Rev. Socratez Yoman was supposed to attend the Papua Baptist Church's annual congregation meeting in the provincial capital, Jayapura, in February, but on the eve of the event, two of his most faithful disciples discouraged him, saying there was a possible plot on his life.

Jakarta – The national human rights body says it would look into reports of human rights violations in Papua, adding that a recent military tribunal only paid lip service in the attempt to bring justice to the province.

AWPA is calling on Julia Gillard to raise the threat to human rights defenders in West Papua with President Yudhoyono.

Jakarta – Rights activists have expressed disappointment over the Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam) military tribunal's verdict in the case of the Papuans that were tortured in Tingginambut, Puncak Jaya regency, a video of which was circulated via YouTube not long ago.

A US-based Papuan journalist and academic, Octo Mote, says the Indonesian Army's Special Forces unit, Kopassus, operates only under its own agenda in Papua.

His comment comes as reports of leaked Kopassus documents reveal that the group targets churches in Papua and defines civilian dissidents as the enemy.

Jakarta – US freelance journalist Allan Nairn claimed he got hold of a leaked document containing an intelligence report on the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) that showed a targeted list of civilians in Papua allegedly involved in a separatist group.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military chief has confirmed claims by a rights activist that the armed forces are actively carrying out intelligence gathering in Papua, and defended the move as crucial for national security.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three enlisted soldiers were sentenced to five months in prison on Thursday for their involvement in assaulting dozens of Puncak Jaya residents in March.

The officers were Chief Pvt. Sahminan Husain Lubis, Second Pvt. Joko Sulistiono and Second Pvt. Dwi Purwanto.

Banjir Ambarita & Nivell Rayda, Jayapura – A military tribunal on Thursday sentenced four soldiers filmed beating unarmed civilians to between five and seven months in prison, but human rights activists remain unappeased by the "showcase" trial.

Documents leaked from the Indonesian Army's Special Forces unit, Kopassus, have revealed that the group targets churches in Papua and defines civilian dissidents as the enemy.

The documents describe a covert network of surveillance, infiltration and disruption of Papuan institutions.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers on trial for allegedly torturing Papuan civilians have testified they kicked and beat captives out of anger.

Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta – Prosecutors at a military tribunal in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday sought three- to four-month prison terms for soldiers on trial for alleged abuses against 30 civilians in March.

Freeport McMoRan copper and Gold should be closed down and the United States should be held responsible for crimes against humanity and against the environment in Papua.

AHRC-OLT-014-2010

President Obama,
White House
Washington D.C.
USA

For the attention of President Barack Obama,

Tom Allard, Jakarta – A military trial into abuses by soldiers in Papua, trumpeted by Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as evidence of the country's commitment to human rights ahead of Julia Gillard's visit, has proven to be a grand deception.

Jakarta – United States President Barack Obama must challenge Indonesia over its abuse and torture of Papuan civilians during his talks in Jakarta this week, human rights activists said on Monday.

Jayapura – The trial of five Indonesian soldiers from an infantry battalion stationed in the Nabire Regency, West Papua, for allegedly "committing acts of violence" against civilians will continue this morning.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – The military has failed to say why it switched Friday's announced court-martial of five soldiers accused of torturing two detainees in Papua but has said they will face justice.

The visit of United States President, Barack Hussein Obama in Indonesia must promote the problems of West Papua. President Obama might not regard trivial and closed the eyes towards the problem of West Papua.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Activists condemned the military's decision to hold a tribunal in Jayapura on Friday over an alleged torture video, calling it "misleading" and "a farce" to distract the public from the heart of the matter.

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Human Rights Watch has lashed out at the Indonesian military, which it said had promised the trial of soldiers allegedly involved in the brutal torture of Papuan civilians would begin on Friday, but instead began the court-martial of personnel in a different case of abuse.

Nethy Darma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Four Army soldiers from an infantry battalion in the Papua regency of Nabire began their trial at the Jayapura military court on Friday in connection with alleged torture against native Papuans in the strife-torn regency of Puncak Jaya.

Tom Allard – A Papuan man depicted in a video being burnt, suffocated and hit by Indonesian troops says he was tortured for two days, according to his testimony recorded and translated by Papuan activists.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Erwida Maulia, Jayapura/Jakarta – Four soldiers allegedly involved in recorded torture of Papuans, where two videos released on YouTube sparked a global outcry, will stand trial at Jayapura Military Court on Friday.

The soldiers consist of an officer, a chief of the local military post and three enlisted soldiers.

Nivell Rayda, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Banjir Ambarita, Jakarta – Rights activists fear for the welfare of two Papuans tortured by soldiers earlier this year, saying one is deeply traumatized and the other's fate is unknown.

Jayapura, Papua – Some 140 policemen from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police paramilitary unit in Jakarta assigned to Puncak Jaya regency in Papua since September this year have been sent home.

Tom Allard – At the Cendrawasih military command in Jayapura, Papua, five Indonesian soldiers tomorrow will face justice for the abuse of two Papuan men, one burnt repeatedly on his genitals, the other threatened with decapitation.

A former Vanuatu prime minister and leader of the Melanesian Progressive Party, Barak Sope, has called on the government to continue to apply political, diplomatic and legal pressure on the United Nations and Jakarta to allow West Papua to hold a referendum on independence from Indonesia.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday there was "no immunity" for members of the country's armed forces, after a video showed them torturing unarmed civilians in Papua.

The websites of several NGOs campaigning for human rights in West Papua have come under cyber attack this week, with commentators suspecting Indonesia as being behind it.

Amnesty International is concerned that there may be no independent probe into the recent video footage of Indonesian soldiers torturing two Papuans.

Jakarta this week confirmed that the graphic video showing scenes of torture was authentic and said the soldiers involved had been unprofessional. An internal investigation has been launched by the military.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua lawmakers insisted Tuesday that government take stern action against security personnel involved in a controversial video of alleged torture of Papuans by members of the Indonesian Military.

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission has rescheduled for today a meeting between four Papuan clans and copper-and-gold company, Freeport.

Mediation talks were to be held last week but Freeport failed to send delegates and sent the convenors a letter. The two sides are locked in a dispute over land use.