West Papua Press Conference 2nd December

Sydney, 28th November 2011

On 19th October 2011, the Indonesian military and police attacked peaceful participants at the third Papuan People’s Congress. The Indonesian Human Rights Commission found that three were shot dead, but the President’s office rejects this finding. Over 300 were initially taken into custody but released the following day. The Congress leaders are accused of treason.

At the huge Freeport mine in West Papua workers have been on strike for 8 weeks. Two striking workers have been shot dead. The issue has attracted attention around the world as the huge multinational is Indonesia’s biggest taxpayer and makes billions , but its Indonesian workforce are the worst paid, and local people have been displaced and the environment heavily polluted. Freeport also has an unsavoury relationship with the Indonesian army and police.

Indonesian Solidarity is inviting two human rights defenders from Jakarta and Papua to visit Australia and organising a press conference on 2nd December. This press conference will be kindly hosted by Cate Faehrmann MLC, the Greens NSW.

Speakers:
Father Frank Brennan is a committed advocate for human rights, having worked tirelessly for others for over 30 years and has won a number of human rights awards. Father Frank is a Jesuit priest, a Professor of Law at the Australian Catholic University and Adjunct Professor at the College of Law and the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the Australian National University.

Ms Olga Helena Hamadi is a human rights lawyer and a director of Kontras Papua, Ms Hamadi is also one of the lawyers representing the leaders of the Papuan congress accused of treason.

Ms Indria Fernida is a human rights lawyer and a vice director of Kontras Jakarta. Kontras (The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence) is a very reputable Indonesian human rights NGO.

Mr Octovianus Mote is a former head in Papua for Kompas, the biggest daily in Indonesia, and now an exile in the US. He is affiliated with Yale University’s Southeast Asia Program and the International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School. Mr Mote was elected by Papuan civil society at the Papua Land of Peace Conference as a Papuan negotiator.

Professor Chris Sidoti is a long-time human rights activist in non-government and official human rights organisations. He is National Spokesman for the Human Rights Council of Australia.

Venue: Parkes Room, NSWParliament
Parliament House
6 Macquarie Street,
Sydney, NSW 2000

Time and Date: 10:30am -12:30pm, Friday 2nd December 2011

Further information please contact Eko Waluyo on 0416 809 107 or John Rawson on (02) 9217 3874

ENDS

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