Indonesian President Frees Prisoners and Lifts Ban on Journalists

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

JAKARTA, Indonesia–

Five political prisoners in the Papua province of Indonesia were released on Saturday by Indonesian President Joko Widodo as part of an effort to improve human rights conditions in Papua. The five prisoners were convicted after a raid on an Indonesian military arms base in 2003 and were facing sentences ranging from 19 years to life.

 

President Widodo pardons the five political prisoners. (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)

 

President Widodo has stated that the release is meant to alleviate conflict in Papua. There has been political unrest and violence in Papua since it was annexed by Indonesia in 1963. Since then, a group of separatist insurgents, called the Free Papua Movement, has fought against the Indonesian government. There are also activist groups who have petitioned for a vote on Papuan independence.

Thousands of Papuan citizens have been killed during clashes with Indonesian police and military forces throughout the last several decades. Last December, five people were killed for protesting a young boy’s beating by Indonesian soldiers.

The prisoners’ release comes just weeks after seven foreigners and an Indonesian national convicted of drug-related offenses were executed by a firing squad in Indonesia. President Widodo ignored international calls for their release and has expressed his support of the use of the death penalty in Indonesia.

Humans Rights Watch, an international organization that researches and advocates for human rights, has pushed President Widodo to release other political prisoners. Overall, there are at least 100 political prisoners being held in Indonesia. Prison sentences are often lengthy and many political prisoners have complained of torture and other abuses at the hands of prison guards.

According to the advocacy group “Papuans Behind Bars”, there are dozens of political prisoners being held for political demonstrations and for acts such as waving the separatist flag. Such acts are viewed as treason in Papua. 26 prisoners held for treason in Papua have rejected the option of being freed under a governmental amnesty program because being released in such a way means admitting guilt for crimes that they did not commit.

President Widodo also recently lifted a ban on foreign journalists traveling to Papua in a further effort to improve human rights conditions in the region. He has stated that journalists are now free to travel to Papua. Previously, foreign journalists needed government clearance before traveling to Papua. Last year, two French journalists were imprisoned for 11 weeks for illegally using their tourist visas to work as journalists in Papua.

The restrictions on journalists were established because of the tensions created by the insurgency movement. The Papuan people saw the travel restrictions on foreign journalists as allowing the Indonesian police and military forces to continue to operate unrestrained in their abuses against Papuan citizens.

For the Papuan people, the freeing of the political prisoners and the lifted ban on foreign journalists are positive steps toward addressing human rights violations in their region.

 

For further information, please see:

ABC News — Indonesia Lifts Travel Ban for Foreign Journalists to Papua — 10 May 2015

Reuters — Indonesian President Lifts Foreign Media Restrictions in Papua — 10 May 2015

BBC — Indonesia Frees Prisoners and Lifts Media Curbs in Papua — 9 May 2015

The New York Times — Indonesia President, Joko Widodo, Pardons Prisoners in Papua Province — 9 May 2015

Press Release: Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, Our Statment on Omar Khadr

Official Statement

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 8th, 2015

 

Our Statment on Omar Khadr

 

Omar Khadr is free at last on bail. The treatment of Omar Khadr as a terrorist and not as a child soldier was wrong. Despite the efforts of many concerned Canadians, human rights advocates and child protection experts, Omar continued to languish in prison cell after prison cell.  Yesterday, the upholding of Omar’s bail decision is a reminder of the importance of the judicial branch of our government, which upheld the rule of law.

It is crucial to keep in mind that Omar Khadr is a victim in all of this. Recruited at 13 years old, then shot and taken prisoner two years later, the story of Omar Khadr has been nothing if not infuriating. As a child, Khadr was forced to move to Afghanistan and join al-Qaeda by his father. It is believed that during a raid on Khadr’s compound, the 15-year-old threw a grenade, killing Sergeant Christopher Speer, a Delta Force strategic forces soldier and medic. Eight years later, he pleaded guilty under duress.

But over the past decade, Khadr’s rights have been violated time and again. From the very beginning, he has been denied the right to due process and a fair trial, the right to protection from torture and — perhaps most appallingly — the rights stemming from the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

International law and norms, which Canada is signatory to, are put in place so as to protect those children who are unscrupulously used as weapons of war and to hold those who recruit and use them to account. It is not Omar who was the threat, but those who recruit young girls and boys to fight their wars for them who are the greatest threat.  Omar deserves the chance to be educated, to be loved, and to be forgiven, just as hundreds of thousands of other child soldiers around the world who have received rehabilitation funded by the Canadian government.

Yesterday, despite the horrific treatment exacted upon Omar for the past 13 years, he walked out and declared, “there is nothing I can do about the past, but there is something I can do about the future.”  Yes Omar, there is so much you can do to shape your future positively and let us hope that you are “free at last”.

Sincerely,

LGen, the Hon. Roméo Dallaire, Founder of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative

Dr. Shelly Whitman, Executive Director of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative

 

VDC: The Monthly Statistical Report, April 2015

Violations Documentation Center in Syria – VDC

 

The Monthly Statistical Report of victims, April 2015

Since the beginning of the Syrian Revolution till the end of April 2015, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria – VDC managed to document the killing of (116166) people, (1557)of whom fell in April 2015, while (2840) fell in April 2014, (3788) in April 2013, (1669) fell in April 2012 and (486) in April 2011.

During this month, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria managed to document the death of (1557) victims, (1387) of whom were documented by names, while (170) i.e. (11%) were unidentified bodies because they had turned into carnages. Still, (20) of them were documented by photo; (15) were documented by video and (135) were documented only by witnessing.

 

Paraguay: Pregnant 10-Year Old Rape Victim Denied an Abortion

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — A 10-year-old girl in Paraguay has been denied an abortion that could save her life.  The girl, who is more than five months pregnant, was allegedly raped by her stepfather.

Image courtesy of inverdant.com

The child was admitted to the hospital with stomach pains when doctors discovered that she was 22-weeks pregnant.

Amnesty international is called on Paraguay’s government to allow the child to get the abortion for the sake of her health.  The mother also requested that the child be allowed to have an abortion, due to the high risk nature of the pregnancy.

The mother’s request was also denied by officials, as abortion is illegal in the South American country.  The girl’s mother is now in custody facing charges of breaching duty of care and being an accomplice of sexual abuse.

Guadalupe Marengo, America’s deputy director at Amnesty International, said Paraguay’s “restrictive” abortion law is in violation of international law.

“Forcing the girl to continue with the pregnancy would prolong the horror”, he said. “The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture.”

Health Minister Antonio Barrios told Paraguay’s ABC newspaper that a psychologist along with doctors were providing care to the girl.

“[T]here are no indications that the girl’s health is at risk… we are not from any point of view, in favor of terminating a pregnancy,” Barrios was quoted as saying.

Paraguayan health authorities have said that even if the abortion were allowed, they would not go ahead because it could be risky for the girl at such a late stage in pregnancy.

The Catholic church in Paraguay has weighed in on the debate, noting human life is sacred, and it starts at conception.

This isn’t Paraguay’s first run in with a domestic abuse pregnancy.  According to health statistics, 680 Paraguayan girls between 10 and 14 years old gave birth in 2014.

Two births a day occur among girls aged 10 to 14 in Paraguay, and many are the result of sexual abuse by relatives and stepfathers, according to the government.

For more information, please see: 

Reuters – Pregnant 10-year-old rape victim denied abortion in Paraguay –  5 May 2015

The Telegraph – Girl, 10, raped by stepfather, denied abortion in Paraguay – 30 Apr. 2015

CNN – Group presses Paraguay to allow abortion for raped girl, 10 – 4 May 2015

the guardian – To make a 10-year-old give birth isn’t just horrifying – it’s life threatening – 5 May 2015