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Please note: Iwanggin Sabar Olif was acquitted in January 2009. See Amnesty International: Human Rights Lawyer Cleared in Indonesia

Letter to Secretary of State Rice on Iwanggin Sabar Olif

PO Box 21873, Brooklyn NY 11202

October 31, 2007

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madame Secretary,

We are writing in order to bring to your urgent attention the arrest of human rights lawyer Iwanggin Sabar Olif in Jayapura on October 18, 2007. According to statements by officials at the time of his arrest, the arrest was made under a law dating to the Suharto dictatorship era which criminalizes "insulting the President." That law was ruled unconstitutional by the Indonesian Constitutional Court in December 2006. Specifically, Olif is accused of forwarding to five close associates a text message that alleged that President Yudhoyono was involved in a program targeting ordinary Papuans with poisoning, kidnapping and other actions, reports of which have recently swept West Papua. Olif did not write the message.

This arrest occurred in the context of a broad crackdown on Papuan critics of the Yudhoyono government. Papuan human rights advocates who met in June with senior UN official Hina Jilani have been especially targeted. As you know, Jilani visited West Papua in June as representative of the UN Secretary General regarding human rights defenders.

We are especially concerned that witnesses to the arrest of Olif have said that a detachment from "Team 88" carried out the arrest. Contradicting these eyewitness accounts, the Indonesian government has claimed that Team 88 personnel were not involved in the arrest. Any involvement by the U.S.-funded Team 88, purportedly an anti-terrorism unit, is of particular concern for two reasons. In this case, the Indonesian police appear to be confusing dissent with terrorism, and Team 88 personnel have been credibly accused of torture, kidnapping and other fundamental violations of human rights.

We strongly urge that the United States Embassy in Jakarta closely monitor developments related to the arrest of Iwanggin Sabar Olif, especially to assure that he is not mistreated in detention and that he is not the victim of injustice.

More broadly, the United States Government should probe the ongoing crackdown targeting human rights defenders and religious leaders in West Papua with a view to pressing the Indonesian Government, and more specifically the security units acting in its name, to end the intimidation of human rights defenders. Among those targeted are: Alberth Rumbekwan, Chief of the Indonesia National Human Rights Commission for West Papua, human rights advocate Christian Warinussy of Manokwari, and Father John Jongga, a Catholic Priest in the Jayapura Diocese. Amnesty International, among other leading international human rights organizations have issued reports on this crackdown.

Finally, we remain deeply concerned by reports that the United States-supported Team 88 continues to violate fundamental human rights. This raises questions about the effectiveness of any human rights training which may accompany U.S. assistance to Indonesia’s security forces. Absent an end to these violations and punishment of those who have violated human rights, we urge an end to United States support for Team 88.

Sincerely,

Ed McWilliams, West Papua Advocacy Team
John M. Miller, National Coordinator, East Timor and Indonesia Action Network



cc:  Senator Robert Byrd, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
Senator Thad Cochran, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Committee
Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair, Senate State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Senator Judd Gregg, Ranking Member Senate State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Senator Joseph Biden, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Richard G. Lugar, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Barbara Boxer, Chair, Senate East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Ranking, Senate East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee
Senator Bill Nelson, Chair, Senate International Operations and Organizations, Democracy Human Rights Subcommittee  
Senator David Vitter, Ranking, Senate International Operations and Organizations, Democracy Human Rights Subcommittee  

Representative David Obey, Chair, House Appropriations Committee
Representative Jerry Lewis, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee
Representative Nita Lowey, Chair, House State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Representative Frank R. Wolf, Ranking, House State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Representative Tom Lantos, Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking, House Foreign Affairs Committee  
Representative Eni Faleomavaega, Chair, House Asia, the Pacific and Global Environment Subcommittee
Representative Donald A. Manzullo, Ranking House Asia, the Pacific and Global Environment Subcommittee
Representative William Delahunt, Chair, House International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Subcommittee
Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Ranking, House International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Subcommittee

also

 

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United States Department of State
Washington, D. C. 20520

November 28, 2007

Mr. Ed McWilliams
PO Box 21873
Brooklyn, NY 11202

Dear Mr. McWilliams:

Thank you for your letter of October 31 regarding the arrest of Iwanggin Sabar Olif in Jayapura on October 18. Although the human rights situation in Indonesia has improved in recent years, we share your concern about abuses that still take place, and we continue to press for greater human rights reform.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta has been closely monitoring developments related to the arrest of Mr. Olif. Embassy officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the case with the Government of Indonesia and have urged the Government to carefully review the grounds for the arrest in order to determine whether such detention was warranted based on the facts of the case. Additionally, Embassy officials have met with Mr. Olif s lawyer, Amon Berokorui, who reported that during his multiple visits with Mr. Olif, he has found Mr. Olif to be in good condition. We will continue to urge the Government of Indonesia to expeditiously conclude the investigation and either file a credible charge or release Mr. Olif.

According to all available information, the involvement of Detachment-88 in this case was limited and has since ceased because terrorism charges are not being pursued. The U.S. government will continue to give close attention to any allegations of misconduct involving these units. We believe that U.S.-supported training of Detachment-88, which is conducted in accordance with Leahy Amendment requirements, helps instill professional standards of conduct.

Additionally, we will continue to monitor the Government of Indonesia's treatment of all Papuan human rights defenders and religious leaders and to press government officials at all levels on the necessity to respect fundamental human rights.

Sincerely,

Michael Orona
Deputy Office Director
Bureau Democracy, Human Rights and Labor


Radio New Zealand International

Papua human rights campaigner charged over SMS messages
Posted at 01:59 on 13 December, 2007 UTC

A Papuan human rights campaigner has been formally charged with insulting Indonesia’s president in a series of mobile phone SMS text messages.

Sabar Iwanggin, who works for the human rights organisation Elsham, was arrested in Jayapura in October by Indonesian police and was held in police custody until this week when charges were laid.

He is now being transferred to the community prison in Abepura to await trial next year.

Elsham’s Paula Makabori says the content of the SMS messages referred to the alleged involvement of Jakarta in a recent wave of reports of Papuans being food poisoned.

But she says Mr Iwanggin is being unfairly singled out for messages passed around thousands of Papuans.

“It’s like: why don’t those thousands of people be put into the jails together with Sabar? Because they all received the same SMS and for writing to their friends and families because of their concern about human rights in West Papua and the deteriorating situation over there.” Elsham’s Paula Makabori
 

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