Indonesia’s Chronic Compulsion to Shoot And Kill Prisoners

Federal Republic of West Papua Condemns Indonesia’s Chronic Compulsion to Shoot And Kill Prisoners

13 February 2015

Jacob Rumbiak, West Papua’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, has further distanced his nascent state from the Indonesian Republic, citing President Widodo’s use of the death penalty against two Australians.

“More than two-thirds of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty, but not Indonesia” he said. “Thousands of West Papuans have stood cuffed in front of a firing squad in an Indonesian prison, including myself. So I wonder why anyone would question our ambition, our right, to abandon a colonial state that continues to uphold, rather than abolish, the barbaric habit of consciously shooting citizens”.

From his office in Docklands, Drs. Rumbiak congratulated Melissa Parke MP, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Tanya Plibersek, and ultimately the Australian parliament, for advising Indonesia to respect its constitution and commute Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’s death sentences to life.

“The ambition of the Federal Republic of West Papua is to institute the justice principles of remorse, reform, and transformation” Drs. Rumbiak said. “This is the Melanesian way. No Melanesian state has ever executed a citizen. We encourage Indonesia to adopt and ratify and implement the UN Resolutions for a moratorium on executing prisoners and for abolishing the death penalty (UNGA Resolutions. 44/128, 1989; 62/149, 2007; 63/168, 2008; 65/206, 2010).

In December 2014, the Vanuatu Government, Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs, and the Pacific Conference of Churches hosted a remarkable reconciliation summit for West Papuan leaders that concluded in an historic joint declaration of unity. The consequent ‘United Liberation Movement for West Papua’, a constituted committee and consultative body, was then issued with responsibility for acquiring full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group in June 2015.

“Given that the Australian parliament is now taking a more realistic approach to Indonesia’s chronic inability to behave as a responsible modern state, I see no reason why it shouldn’t also consider that reality for West Papuans and support their application to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

ENDS

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