JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The government’s recent decision to classify armed criminal groups (KKB) in Papua and West Papua as terrorists has been met with fierce criticism from rights groups and a local administration, which all feared that it would only make things worse in the restive regions.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said the designation showed the government s failure to address the root of Papua’s problems and could lead to more human rights violations in the country s easternmost provinces rather than helping the Papuan people.
“Based on our monitoring, military and police personnel allegedly often justify the killing of Papuan people by claiming that they were members of the Free Papua Movement [OPM] or ‘armed criminal groups’ without providing clear evidence claims that are often denied by local residents and church leaders, ” he said in a statement.
The government’s recent decision to classify armed criminal groups (KKB) in Papua and West Papua as terrorists has been met with fierce criticism from rights groups and a local administration, which all feared that it would only make things worse in the restive regions.
Friday, 23 Apr 2021 10:44 AM MYT
Indonesia has turned to virtual court hearings as Covid-19 restrictions shut down most in-person trials. Reuters pic
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JAKARTA, April 23 Indonesia has sentenced scores of prisoners to death over Zoom and other video apps during the pandemic in what critics say is an “inhumane” insult to those facing the firing squad.
The South-east Asian nation turned to virtual court hearings as Covid-19 restrictions shut down most in-person trials, including murder and drug trafficking cases, which can carry the death penalty.
Since early last year, almost 100 inmates have been condemned to die in Indonesia by judges they could only see on a television monitor, according to Amnesty International.
Ironically, with the annual World Press Freedom Day being observed on Monday many commentors also warn about the increased dangers for journalists covering the conflict.
Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy chairperson Hendardi (Indonesians often have a single name) has criticised the government’s move against “armed criminal groups” in Papua, or “KKB)”, as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) armed wing is described by military authorities.
The move to designate them as terrorists is seen as a short-cut and an expression of the government’s “desperation” in dealing with the Papuan struggle for independence.
“The labeling of resistance groups in Papua will not break the long and recurring cycle of violence”, Hendardi said, according to a report in