EED-Appeal to the German Federal Government: Protection for human rights advocates in the Indonesian province of West Papua.

Due to investigations into the murder of West Papuan independence leader human rights advocates are under massive threat


(Bonn, 21.12.2001) International organisations are alarmed by massive threats against human rights advocates working for the Indonesian non-governmental organisation ELSHAM. The Church Development Service (EED) is calling the German Federal Government to urge the Government of Indonesia in order to protect human rights advocates who are actively trying to investigate into the murder of the West Papuan independence movement´s leader, Theys Eluay.

EED's partner organisation ELSHAM recently published an investigation report on the death of Theys Eluay, who was abducted and murdered on 10 November 2001. The report strengthens suspicions that it was a  political killing. By carrying out their own investigations the human rights organisation ELSHAM found numerous indications which make it fair to assume that the persecutors were from the military special forces unit Kopassus. As ELSHAM´s director, John Rumbiak, reports, soldiers were threatening the organisation´s staff with weapons and urged them to stop their investigation immediately. Rumbiak himself has received massive threats as well, he said.

Hopes of a revision of West Papua´s integration into Indonesia in 1969 have been raised by the independance of East Timor. During the last months the militarisation in West Papua has been increasing. Thenumber of deployed soldiers multiplied. The people are exposed to systematic provocations by the army and other security forces. There are dramatic similarities with the situation in East Timor prior to the referendum in September 1999.

ELSHAM´s main activity is to collect data on the numerous human rights violations in the Indonesian province of Papua, to document and publicize them. By so doing ELSHAM is trying to raise international  awareness of the fate of Papua´s people. The human rights institute was founded in 1995 by Catholic and Protestant organisations. Forced to work clandestinely in the beginning, ELSHAM could only register after the fall of Indonesian dictator Suharto in May 1998. It has now its  main office in Jayapura, the biggest city in West Papua. 

EED is giving financial support for the work of ELSHAM. EED is a development organisation of the Protestant Churches in Germany. It gives support through financial contributions, personnel secondment services as well as consultancy services for development, peacebuilding and education programmes in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Approximately 23 percent of the financial support by EED, i.e. roughly 63 Million German Marks are committed to Asia.

EED-Contact: Press Spokeswoman Ilonka Boltze, Tel. 0228-8101-2503, email: presse@eed.de
--

forwarded by:
***********************************************************************
Watch Indonesia! Tel./Fax +49-30-698 179 38
Planufer 92 d e-mail: watchindonesia@snafu.de 
10967 Berlin http://home.snafu.de/watchin 
Spendenkonto: 0 632 136 701 Dresdner Bank Berlin (BLZ 100 800 00)
***********************************************************************