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Bahasa Indonesia

Congress Demands Action on West Papua Political Prisoners
as Human Rights Violations Persist

For Immediate Release

Contact: Tom Ricker, 301-922-8909
John M. Miller, National Coordinator, +1/718-596-7668

August 7 - The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today congratulated U.S. congressmembers for their letter to Indonesian president, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urging him to work for the “immediate and unconditional” release of West Papuan political prisoners Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.

“We are pleased that Congress is taking this important stand for human rights in Indonesia. Karma and Pakage have been in prison for three and half long years for merely exercising their right of political expression. We hope the letter coupled with increasing pressure from the human rights community will gain their release,” said Tom Ricker, advocacy coordinator for ETAN

The letter was signed by 40 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The letter with a complete list of signers can be found below.

Karma and Pakage are serving 10 and 15 years respectively for raising the Morning Star flag during a peaceful protest in December of 2004 in Jayapura, Papua. According to Amnesty International and other reports, Indonesian police who arrested . Karma at the site of the demonstration subsequently beat him en route to the police station. Karma and Pakage were sentenced in May 2005 and have been in prison since. Amnesty International has declared Karma and Pakage to be prisoners of conscience.

Filep Karma (left) and Yusak Pakage. Photographs by S. Eben Kirksey (CC).  You may not use this work for commercial purposes without permission from the copyright holder. Filep Karma (kanan) dan Yusak Pakage. Foto oleh Eben Kirksey (CC). Foto ini tidak boleh digunakan untuk tujuan komersil tanpa izin dari pemegang hak cipta.

The letter also points to the deteriorating human right situation in Papua: “The unjust imprisonment of Mr. Karma and Mr. Pakage occurs in the context of a crackdown on Papuan human rights defenders, which has included general public threats by senior military officials and intimidation directed at individuals by anonymous figures.”

“This letter from Congress comes at a crucial time. Peaceful protesters continue to be arrested in West Papua. Just two weeks ago nearly 40 people were arrested for demonstrating. Six of the organizers now face the same prison terms as Karma and Pakage,” said Ricker.

“The U.S. government has once again become a major supplier of military assistance to Indonesia despite the deteriorating circumstances in West Papua. We hope this action by members of Congress signals a renewed willingness to promote respect for human rights as a condition of any future assistance,” he added.

The congressional letter was coordinated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)

ETAN was formed in 1991. The U.S.-based organization advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for Timor-Leste and Indonesia. For more information, see ETAN's web site: http://www.etan.org.

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translation of letter into Bahasa Indonesia

Dr. H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta 10110
Indonesia
 
Your Excellency,
 
We the undersigned members of the U.S. Congress respectfully call to your attention the cases of Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage who, in May 2005, were convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the legitimate and peaceful exercise of their freedom of expression in Abepura, Papua on December 1, 2004.  Amnesty International has declared the two 'prisoners of conscience.'  We also call your attention to reports by reputable sources that Mr. Karma was beaten by the police following his arrest.  There are also reliable reports that police at the scene of the demonstration beat a human rights defender who sought to photograph the violent police action against peaceful demonstrators.
 
The unjust imprisonment of Mr. Karma and Mr. Pakage occurs in the context of a crackdown on Papuan human rights defenders, which has included general public threats by senior military officials and intimidation directed at individuals by anonymous figures.  This campaign of threats and intimidation has targeted Papuans who met with and gave testimony about human rights abuse to a senior UN human rights representative when she visited Papua at your government's invitation in June 2007.
 
We urge you to take action to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Karma and Mr. Pakage.  Any security officials who mistreated Mr. Karma or who may have employed inappropriate force against peaceful demonstrators should be prosecuted.  Such steps would be an important indicator that Indonesia, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, takes its international obligations to fully respect universally recognized human rights.
 
In accordance with all applicable rules and regulations, we thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kennedy  
Raul Grijalva  
Barbara Lee    
Joseph Pitts   
Tammy Baldwin  

Barney Frank   
Mark Kirk      
Tim Walz       
Mike Honda     
Lois Capps     
Jan Schakowsky 
Jim McGovern   
Jesse Jackson Jr.      
Ellen Tauscher 
Tom Allen      
Jim Langevin   
Ed Pastor      
Sam Farr       
Steve Rotham   
Jim Oberstar   
Thad McCotter  
Darlene Hooley 
Maurice Hinchey
Joe Crowley    
Lloyd Doggett  
Carolyn Maloney
David Wu       
Linda Sanchez  
Peter DeFazio  
Zoe Lofgren    
Albio Sires    
Ed Towns       
Sheila Jackson-Lee     
Danny Davis    
Betty Sutton   
Eliot Engel    
Chakah Fattah  
Rush Holt      
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Diane Watson


see also

AI Special Focus Case: Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage

Human Rights Watch: Protest and Punishment Political Prisoners in Papua

The West Papua Report - Back Issues

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Kongres Menuntut Tindakan atas Tahanan Politik Papua Barat karena Terjadi Pelanggaran HAM

Untuk Disebarkan Segera

Kontak: Tom Ricker, 301-922-8909
John M. Miller, Koordinator Nasional, +1/718-596-7668

7 Agustus –The  East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN – Jaringan Aksi Timor Timur dan Indonesia) hari ini memberi selamat kepada anggota kongres atas surat mereka kepada presiden Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yang mendesaknya agar bertindak untuk membebaskan “segera dan tanpa syarat” tahanan politik Papua Barat Filep Karma dan Yusak Pakage.

“Kami senang bahwa Kongres mengambil tindakan penting demi penegakan HAM di Indonesia. Karma dan Pakage sudah mendekam di tahanan selama tiga setengah tahun hanya karena melakukan ekspresi hak politik mereka. Kami berharap surat itu, ditambah dengan meningkatnya tekanan masyarakat HAM, akan menghasilkan pembebasan mereka,” kata Tom Ricker, koordinator advokasi ETAN.

Surat itu ditandatangani oleh 40 anggota Dewan Perwakilan AS. Surat itu berserta dengan daftar lengkap penandatangannya bisa ditemukan di bawah ini.

Karma dan Pakage dijatuhi hukuman masing-masing 10 dan 15 tahun karena menaikkan bendera Bintang Kejora selama protes damai pada bulan Desember 2004 di Jayapura, Papua. Menurut Amnesty International dan laporan lainnya, polisi Indonesia yang menangkap Karma di lokasi demontrasi terus memukulinya selama perjalanan menuju kantor polisi. Karma dan Pakage dijatuhi hukuman pada bulan Mei 2005 dan mendekam di penjara sejak itu. Amnesty International telah mendeklarasikan Karma dan Pakage sebagai prisoners of conscience (tahanan politik).

Surat itu juga mengungkapkan semakin memburuknya situasi HAM di Papua: “Penahanan yang melawan rasa keadilan atas Karma dan Pakage terjadi dalam konteks penghancuran atas para pejuang penegakan HAM Papua, yang mencakup ancaman umum terbuka oleh pejabat militer senior dan intimidasi atas individu oleh orang-orang tak dikenal.”

“Surat dari Kongres ini muncul pada saat yang tepat. Para demonstran damai terus ditangkapi di Papua Barat. Baru dua minggu lalu  sekitar 40 orang ditangkap karena melakukan demonstrasi. Enam dari pengorganisir kini menghadapi masa tahanan yang sama dengan Karma dan Pakage,” kata Ricker.

“Pemerintah AS sekali lagi menjadi penyuplai utama bantuan militer ke Indonesia dibalik suasana yang kian memburuk di Papua Barat. Kami berharap tindakan anggota Kongres merupakan pertanda kesediaan baru mendorong penegakan HAM sebagai syarat bantuan lain di masa mendatang,” ia menambahkan.

Surat kongres ini dikoordinir oleh anggota dewan Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)

ETAN bendiri pada tahun 1991.
Organisasi berbasis di AS yang memperjuangkan demokrasi, keadilan, dan HAM untuk Timor-Leste dan Indonesia. Untuk informasi selanjutnya, lihat situs ETAN: http://www.etan.org .
 

----

Dr. H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Presiden Republik Indonesia
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta 10110
Indonesia
 
Yang Mulia,
 
Kami anggota Kongres AS yang bertandatangan di bawah ini dengan hormat memohon perhatian atas kasus Filep Karma dan Yusak Pakage yang, pada bulan Mei 2005, didakwa dan dijatuhi hukuman atas keterlibatan mereka mengungkapan hak berpendapat secara sah dan damai di Abepura, Papua pada tanggal 1 Desember 2004. Amnesty International telah mendeklarasikan mereka berdua sebagai 'tahanan politik.'  Kami juga memohon perhatian atas laporan dari sumber terpercaya bahwa Karma dipukuli polisi setelah ditangkap. Ada pula laporan terpercaya bahwa polisi di lokasi demonstrasi memukul seorang penegak HAM yang berusaha memotret tindakan kekerasan polisi terhadap para pelaku demonstrasi damai.
 
Penahanan tak adil atas Karma dan Pakage terjadi dalam konteks penghancuran atas para pejuang penegakan HAM Papua, yang mencakup ancaman umum terbuka oleh pejabat militer senior dan intimidasi atas individu oleh orang-orang tak dikenal.” Kampanye ancaman dan intimidasi ini menjadikan sasaran warga Papua yang memberikan pengakuan atas pelanggaran HAM terhadap perwakilan HAM PBB ketika mengunjungi Papua atas undangan pemerintah Anda pada Juni 2007.
 
Kami mendorong Anda mengambil tindakan untuk memastikan pembebasan Karma dan Pakage segera dan tanpa syarat. Petugas keamanan yang telah bertindak melawan hukum atas Karma atau telah menggunakan keasaan tak wajar atas para demonstran damai harus diadili. Tindakan ini akan menjadi indikator penting bahwa Indonesia, sebagai anggota Dewan HAM PBB, menjalankan kewajiban internasionalnya untuk menghormati secara penuh HAM yang diakui universal.
 
Berdasarkan semua peraturan dan perundang-undangan yang berlaku, kami mengucapkan terima kasih atas perhatian Anda atas masalah ini.

Hormat kami,

 

Patrick J. Kennedy

 

Raul Grijalva  
Barbara Lee    
Joseph Pitts   
Tammy Baldwin  

Barney Frank   
Mark Kirk      
Tim Walz       
Mike Honda     
Lois Capps     
Jan Schakowsky 
Jim McGovern   
Jesse Jackson Jr.      
Ellen Tauscher 
Tom Allen      
Jim Langevin   
Ed Pastor      
Sam Farr       
Steve Rotham   
Jim Oberstar   
Thad McCotter  

Darlene Hooley 
Maurice Hinchey
Joe Crowley    
Lloyd Doggett  
Carolyn Maloney
David Wu       
Linda Sanchez  
Peter DeFazio  
Zoe Lofgren    
Albio Sires    
Ed Towns       
Sheila Jackson-Lee     
Danny Davis    
Betty Sutton   
Eliot Engel    
Chakah Fattah  
Rush Holt      
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Diane Watson

 


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