Jubi TV – The United Nations (UN) through the Special Procedures Mandate Holders submitted a request for data, information, and clarification to the Indonesian government regarding alleged violations of human rights in Papua, internationally known as West Papua.
Among these allegations are the number of people who died including civilians in clashes between the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and the military, the arrest of Indigenous Papuans, and restrictions of access for the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the International Red Cross, and church workers.The request in the letter dated December 22, 2021 was addressed to the Office of the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Three UN special rapporteurs signed the letter, namely Jose Francisco Cali Tzay (special rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples), Morris Tidball-Binz (special rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and Arbitrary Arrests), and Cecilia Jimenez-Damary (special rapporteur on the Rights of Internally Displaced People).
Jubi has confirmed the letter to the UN Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand. The office said the letter was indeed sent to the Indonesian government but was not yet public.
CNNindonesia.com reported, the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs had confirmed the letter. Deputy for Foreign Policy Coordination Rina P. Soemarno confirmed the UN's request.
"It's a normal process. We as a UN member country may accept questions like that and the government needs to answer," Soemarno said via text message on Saturday, February 12, 2022, as quoted by CNNIndonesia.com.
Soemarno said the Indonesian government would compile data and facts to answer the UN's request in a coordination meeting between relevant ministries and institutions under the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.
Such preparation was planned to be carried out on February 14 but was canceled because many people who were expected to attend the meeting were unable to attend.
The UN said the request for information was related to several previous communications between the UN and the Indonesian government regarding allegations of excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, and torture of Indigenous Papuans by the police, military, or joint security forces.