On Election Day, West Papuan activists spread a message of hope and freedom in Melbourne to raise awareness of the Freedom Flotilla, writes Jenny Denton.

AI Index: ASA 21/031/2013

[Shirley Shackleton was on board the Lusitania when it sailed to East Timor in 1992 to protest the Indonesian occupation.

Jayapura – In a recent statement, the Chief of Police of Indonesia, Inspector-Commissioner Muhamad Tito Karnavian said that the ships taking part in the Freedom Flotilla are trying to d

This morning the Freedom Flotilla to West People received communications from protest rallies organisers in West Papua yesterday, with reports indicating further celebratory activities

As the Freedom Flotilla to West Papua continues its epic journey north towards Indonesian occupied West Papua, solidarity actions were held yesterday in both in West Papua and Melbourne

Activists in the Indonesian province of West Papua have gathered to show support for the boatload of Australian activists due to arrive there early next month.

A group of Australian activists says it has been granted authority to enter Indonesia's Papua province by local people who have a sovereign right to grant access to their own land.

A group of Australian activists say threats of force by Indonesia have not hindered their determination to make it to Papua's shores.

Despite claims published by Indonesian website merdeka.com that the Freedom Flotilla is not proceeding, Freedom Flotilla co-founders, Jacob Rumbiak, Uncle Kevin Buzzacott and Izzy Brown

Jakarta – All police units in Papua have been warned of a possible unauthorized visit by foreign ships carrying activists campaigning for a free Papua.

Daniel Drageset, Auckland – Aboriginal elder Kevin Buzzacott, who is on board the West Papua Freedom Flotilla, says media attention is "very important" in order to "expose what's happen

Dedicated activists and Indigenous elders of the Freedom Flotilla reaffirmed their commitment to travel to West Papua, and sent messages of inspiration to counter Bob Carr's despondence

Jakarta – The Australian government does not have the authority to stop its citizen from sailing out of Australian ports as long as it is legal.

A group of Australian and West Papuan activists have set sail on a Freedom Flotilla bound for the Indonesian territory of West Papua.

Marni Cordell – The Indonesian government has said it hopes it will not be necessary to use lethal force against a boatload of activists planning to land illegally in Merauke, West Papu

Benjamin Soloway – A flotilla carrying approximately 50 West Papuan and indigenous Australian protestors bound for the Indonesian territories of West Papua began its journey from Queens

Indonesian authorities have warned Australian activists on a "freedom flotilla" to avoid entering West Papua or risk being arrested.

Peter Alford and Brendan Nicholson – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has appealed to friendly countries to prevent political activity that disrupts good relations as a "fr

Marni Cordell – A group of Australian and West Papuan activists will set sail from Cairns on Saturday for the Indonesian territory of West Papua, despite fears they could face arrest or

On August 15th 2013, we opened a new office in The Hague, Netherlands.

Joel Magarey – Australian and West Papuan activists are set to sail to the disputed Indonesian territory of West Papua without permission.

Jenny Denton – A group of Australian Aboriginal, non-Indigenous and West Papuan activists will set sail from Cairns for West Papua on Saturday, on a journey that organisers describe as

Jakarta – Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian has announced a plan to conduct a flag-hoisting ceremony on Papua highest peak, Mount Cartenz, on Wednesday.

The Hague, West Papua – The Free West Papua Campaign is to open a new office in the Netherlands.

Oxford, UK – Benny Wenda has been many things in his 38 years.

The West Papuan Freedom Flotilla sets out on the first leg of its epic journey from Lake Eyre to the warm waters of Merauke, West Papua on July 16, 2013.

Damien McElroy – Benny Wenda, a 38-year-old exile from the Pacific territory of West Papua, has recently opened an office on the Cowley Road for his campaign seeking independence for th

Ezra Sihite & Carlos Paath – Noises of fury over the launching of a Free West Papua Campaign office in Britain continued to emerge from the Indonesian government on Tuesday, althoug

A January 19 demonstration of over 500 people asserting Papuan rights to freedom of expression defied a police ban on gatherings in the remote town of Oksibil, in the Pegunungan Bintang

The New Zealand Green Party MP says the government's stand on issues in Indonesia's Papua is ironic given its principled line when dealing with Fiji.

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of Papuan students from Java and Bali that are part of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) held an action at the zero kilometre point in the Central J

John Gibb – New Zealand could improve the "critical" human rights situation in West Papua by pursuing the peacemaking role that proved successful during the earlier Bougainville conflic

Dozens of protesters have denounced alleged torture in Indonesia and accused Britain of putting commercial interests ahead of human rights on the first day of a state visit by the Indon

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua Police have launched an overhaul of their institution in the provinces of Papua and West Papua by replacing 23 out of 29 police regency heads.

Index: ASA 21/041/2012

London, UK – A week before Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to the UK, Parliamentarians, Peers and civil society organisations gathered at the Houses of Parliament

Jakarta – Five police officers, one journalist were injured and eleven reportedly detained when a rally staged by West Papua National Committee (KNPB) turned chaotic on Tuesday in Manok

John McBeth – It is time for the critics to forget about the Indonesian military's businesses for a moment and look at the money-making ventures of the national police that assumed resp

Several thousand people crammed the grave site of murdered independence hero Ondofolo Theys Eluay on March 7, to hear resolutions from the Pacific regional Feb 29 launch in Canberra of

Labor backbenchers have angrily defied a call by acting Foreign Minister Craig Emerson to boycott a meeting on the disputed province of West Papua so Indonesia is not offended.

A New Zealand MP is calling on the government to play a constructive role over dialogue with Indonesia about West Papua.

The Australian government has denied any involvement in a regional forum supporting the independence of West Papua from Indonesia that was held in Canberra on Tuesday, saying it remains

Jakarta – Vice President Boediono brushed aside fears of 'foreign intervention' in the event of donor development funds being more accessible in Papua.

The Australian government has confirmed that it is investigating reports that an Australian-owned mining company was involved in ongoing Indonesian military operations in Paniai, West P

Farouk Arnaz – An unidentified group of people set the Angkaisera police office in Yapen Waropen district Papua on fire and raised the Morning Star flag on Tuesday morning.

Reports from Indonesian controlled West Papua indicate that thousands of villagers in Paniai are undergoing a military siege involving horrendous destruction and violence.

People in over 80 countries in every region of the world have come together to demand the release of Indonesian prisoner of conscience Filep Karma, who is currently serving a 15-year pr

Banjir Ambarita – It has been revealed that the officer who died after setting himself and part of a police dormitory in Serui, Yappen Islands, Papua, on fire had a history of mental il

The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) is calling for the independence of West Papua and her people from Indonesia.