Press Release – West Papua Action Auckland
West Papua Action Auckland congratulates the Governments of Vanuatu
and Solomon Islands for their statements last week about human rights
abuses in West Papua. We believe their principled and courageous stand
at the Human Rights Council in Geneva …Congratulations Vanuatu and Solomon Islands
28 June 2016
West Papua Action Auckland congratulates the Governments of Vanuatu and
Solomon Islands for their statements last week about human rights
abuses in West Papua. We believe their principled and courageous stand
at the Human Rights Council in Geneva has drawn attention to the
suffering of a people whose plight remains hidden from much of the
world. We strongly support Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands in their
call for the UN Special Rapporteur for the Freedom of Expression to be
invited to visit the territory, and will encourage our Government to
back this call. Letter follows:
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Red House, Honiara. Solomon Islands.
25 June 2016
Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, Parliament Buildings, Port Vila. Vanuatu.
Dear Prime Ministers,
West Papua Action Auckland would like to congratulate your Governments
for the very important representations made by your diplomatic
representatives at the Geneva meeting of the Human Rights Council.
We fully support the principled stand that your governments have taken
in support of the people of West Papua who continue to suffer from
grievous human rights abuses. Along with you, we have been very
disturbed by the large number of arrests of young people that have taken
place across the territory in the last two months. We understand that
those arrested were doing nothing more than attempting to express their
political aspirations and their support for the United Liberation
Movement for West Papua to become a full member of the Melanesian
Spearhead Group.
In the last few days our concerns have increased as we read the reported
statement of the Police Chief in West Papua, General Paulus Waterpauw,
who said that there would be ‘legal consequences’ for those in groups
who advocate for ‘separatism’. He appeared to be threatening young
people with a criminal record should they take part in a demonstration
that could be seen as anti-government. If this report is accurate then
it has serious implications. We strongly believe that the essence of
democracy is the right to peaceful dissent.
We therefore back the call you have made to Indonesia to invite the
UN Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to visit West Papua.
Furthermore, as Indonesia has not welcomed the request for a
fact-finding mission supported by the Pacific Island Forum, we are
pleased that you have raised this important proposal in Geneva.
For our part we will do our best to encourage our own Government to follow your inspiring lead.
Your s sincerely,
Maire Leadbeater
For West Papua Action Auckland
ends
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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Congratulations Vanuatu and Solomon Islands

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