Congratulations Vanuatu and Solomon Islands

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
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