The following is a translation of a press release by 17 West Papuan organisations that have launched a Papuan People’s Petition (Petisi Rakyat Papua) to oppose the government’s discussion on renewing Papua’s Special Autonomy Law (Otsus) which expires next year.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the police were involved in 921 cases of alleged violence and human rights violations between July 2019 and June 2020. A total of 1,627 people were injured and 304 died as a result of these incidents.

Jakarta – Former Papuan political prisoner Filep Karma says that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised to release all Papuan political prisoners during his administration. Widodo made this pledge, said Karma, to five of his fellow political prisoners in Jayapura, Papua, who were release in 2015.

Dwi Bowo Raharjo and Yosea Arga Pramudita – The Civil Society Coalition is urging the police to arrest the perpetrators of terror threatening freedom of expression and opinion who have been attacking journalists and activists of late.

Ali Umar – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo must change the government’s approach in resolving the Papua problem. At the start of his first term in office, Widodo managed to offer a new hope in efforts to find a dignified solution in Papua. He granted amnesty to Papuan political prisoners and guaranteed the upholding of human rights there.

Rakhmat Nur Hakim, Jakarta – National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Deputy Commissioner Hairansyah says that 2019 was a gloomy year for human rights (HAM) in Indonesia.

Jakarta – The Banyuwangi municipal police say that a clash in the Pesanggaran sub-district of Banyuwangi, East Java, in late March was trigged by a protest by a group of people opposing a mine operated by the company PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) on the pretext of preventing the spread of the corona virus.

Mei Amelia R – A transgender woman named Mira has been burnt alive by a group of people in the Cilincing area of North Jakarta. The Sandya Institute has condemned the violence against Mira and is demanding justice.

Markus You, Nabire – It is hoped that a new policy by Justice and Human Rights Minister (Menkumham) Yasonna Laoly to release thousands of convicted criminals from prisons across Indonesia will not discriminate against Papuan political prisoners (tapol) who are still incarcerated in jail that were arrested in related to the wave of mass actions a

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD has scolded non-government organisations (NGOs) who frequently cite the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) for creating problems and committing human rights (HAM) violations in conflict prone areas.

Lugas Subarkah, Jogja – Continued cultural and systemic gender based oppression does not just befall women but other vulnerable groups as well. In response to this, a number of organisations in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta took to the streets on International Women’s Day (IWD) to call for equality and gender justice.

Bagus F, Bandung – Coinciding with International Women’s Day (IWD) 2020, protesters from the Wanoja Ngalawan Assembly (KAWAN) held a protest action at the Gedung Sate building (the governor’s office) in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Sunday March 8.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – The Yogyakarta Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) is urging that the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS) be ratified immediately.

Dwi Bowo Raharjo and Ria Rizki Nirmala Sari – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is holding bilateral talks during his visit to Australia on February 8-10.

Dany Garjito and Rifan Aditya – Human Rights lawyer and activist Veronica Koman says that data on Papuan political prisoners (tapol) and the names of those who died as a result of military operations in Nduga was handed over to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during his visit to Canberra, Australia.

Surabaya – One of the Papuan students in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya who was the target of racist abuse last year believes that the five month jail sentence handed down against the defendant Syamsul Arifin was too light.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition has provided a report on the resolution of cases of human rights violations during the first 100 days of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term in office.

Isal Mawardi, Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto invited veterans of the Seroja Operation in East Timor to his private residence in Hambalang on Wednesday. The invitation was to show his respect to the former fighters.

Jakarta – Coinciding with Mother’s Day which falls on December 22 each year, hundreds of women marched to the State Palace in Central Jakarta to articulate demands related to women’s issues saying that government policies are still discriminative and do not support women. The action took up the theme Women Heal the Nation.

Leon Kastayudha – Indonesia celebrates National Mother’s Day on December 22nd. As in other countries, Mother’s Day is a mainstream commemoration filled with gestures of appreciation to mothers, flowers, and or other commercial gifts.