Nabire, Jubi – International Academics for West Papua (IAWP) is a network that was started in 2016 by a group of academics concerned about the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua, will launch its European region branch this month.

The IAWP welcomes academics from all countries and all disciplines. The aim of the network is to express extreme concern about the prevalence of human rights abuses carried out by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. It was officially launched in the Australia-Pacific region on September 1 at the University of Sydney's conference, 'Beyond the Pacific: West Papua on the World Stage', hosted by the West Papua Project.

The ribbon was cut by West Papuan leader, Jacob Rumbiak, to an audience of Papuans and their international supporters. It also included and welcome the network's new patrons, Dr Benny Giay and Professor Noam Chomsky.

The European branch of the International Academics for West Papua is set to launch on Wednesday November 15 at the British Houses of Parliament in 4:30PM Grimond Room, Portcullis House.

The branch will be launched during an introductory meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on West Papua, a cross-party group of MPs and Lords which seeks to promote West Papuan self-determination and human rights at a high political level.

The launch will feature talks from several academics and researchers on issues from British foreign policy in West Papua to the thorny issue of a proposed independence referendum. It will be joined by parliamentarians, activists, journalists and legal professionals. Below is IAWP official open letter launched in September 2016, as well as it platform of foundation:

Open letter to the Government of Indonesia

We academics from around the world express extreme concern about the prevalence of human rights abuses carried out by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. Since 1969, the Indonesian army has routinely fired into non-violent demonstrations, burned down villages and tortured civilian activists and bystanders.

Despite being routinely barred from the provinces, independent observers like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Tapolhave all documented severe and endemic human rights violations by Indonesia across West Papua. Indonesian special forces andcounter-terrorism units like Kopassus and Detachment 88 – trained by Western countries – are implicated in beatings, extra judicialassassinations and mass killings. Such a heavy military presence, combined with racism and structural economic discrimination against the indigenous Papuan population, can only result in conflict and abuse.

We therefore call upon the government of Indonesia and our own governments to take urgent and effective action to ensure that:

• The Indonesian military swiftly withdraws from West Papua and that Indonesia demilitarise the region as a first step towards a peacefulresolution to the conflict;
• Indonesia releases political prisoners and allows international media, NGOs and observers into West Papua;
• The international community takes a firm stance on human rights abuses in West Papua and calls for Indonesia to respect the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a party;
• Military and police training and arms exports for Indonesia are terminated until human rights abuses in West Papua cease, includingAustralian, American, British, Canadian, Dutch, New Zealand, training and funding of the Indonesian police's counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88, at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation;
• Indonesia and the International Community recognize the historic injustice of the 1969 'Act of Free Choice', by which the population of West Papua was denied its right to self determination and coerced into joining Indonesia, and that they take steps to address the historic injustice in a manner supported by the majority of Papuans.

Signed by:

• Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritis, MIT
• Michael Webb, Lecturer, University of Sydney
• Camellia Webb-Gannon, Research Fellow, Western Sydney University
• Helen Gardner, Associate Professor, Deakin University
• Grant McCall, Affiliate, University of Sydney
• Nicholas Lawrence, Associate Professor, University of Warwick
• Marcus Campbell, University of Sydney
• Stephen Hill, Emeritus Professor, University of Wollongong
• Julian McKinlay King, Researcher, West Papua Project, University of Sydney
• Thomas Petersson, Senior Lecturer, Malardalen University
• Robert Amery, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide
• Grant Walton, ANU
• Selogadi Mampane, Part-time Lecturer, Vega University
• Cornelis Mara, University of Papua
• Megan Williams, Senior Lecturer, UTS
• Michael Atkins, Lecturer, City of Bristol College
• Vivienne Yeki, Teacher, Christchurch Teachers College
• Adeline Cooke, Visiting Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire

Source: http://academicsforpapua.orgEditor: Zely Ariane

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/international-academics-west-papua-launch-european-branch-britain/