Reiner Brabar, Sorong – International Human Rights Day will be commemorated on December 10. This year is the 76th anniversary of Human Rights Day since the Universal Human Rights Declaration was issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
Human Rights Day 2024 is taking up the theme "Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now". Under this theme, this year's UN human rights campaign is focusing on how human rights represents a solution, because human rights plays an important role as a preventive, protective and transformative force for good, especially during periods of crisis.
Ahead of the Human Rights Day commemoration on Tuesday, the Central Board of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is calling for a peaceful and non-violent form of struggle. The call was addressed to all KNPB regional leaders in all parts of the land of Papua.
In a statement, KNPB Central Board Chairperson Warpo Sampari Wetipo appealed to all KNPB regional leaders to hold actions commemorating International Human Rights Day.
"These actions must be carried out peacefully and without violence. Meanwhile the forms of the actions that can be held should be in the form of peaceful demonstrations, prayers, seminars, free speech forums and so on", said Wetipo.
Wetipo reminded all KNPB regional leaders not to forget all of the problems that are occurring in each region. "In addition to official KNPB statements, issues or problems that are occurring in each region must also be conveyed openly to the public during the commemoration of International Human Rights Day", Wetipo ordered.
The KNPB nationally is taking up the theme "There is no genuine struggle without sacrifice, death or homeland". Wetipo said that specifically in the Jayapura city area, a long-march will be held.
"Specifically for the city of Jayapura, the Papua Council of Churches (PCC) and indigenous Papuan priests together with the resistance movement (KNPB Central) have agreed that it will be a long-march. A Way of the Cross procession from the Waena Expo gathering point, to the Waena III State Housing Company (Perumnas), Abepura and Raja city towards the Zakeus Abepura Square, then continued with prayers and a free speech forum", he explained.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Peringati Hari HAM Sedunia, KNPB Serukan Perjuangan Tanpa Kekerasan".]
