Human rights activists have accused the government of denying Papuans true democracy by cracking down on gatherings or by refusing permission to stage peaceful rallies.

“Why is it only in Papua that civilians often encounter obstacles when they want to express their opinions publicly? Other parts of this country don’t face such a situation,” Theo Hesegem, director of the Law Enforcement and Human Rights Advocacy Network, said yesterday in Jakarta.

Papuans always ask for permits before staging rallies, he continued. “They never receive a permit,” he added, citing several examples.

On August 20, 15 activists tried to stage a fundraising event in the provincial capital Jayapura to help a sick man being detained by the government, who was reportedly not receiving treatment.

“The police arrested them because they said the activists didn’t have permission to stage the event,” Hesegem said. “In fact, they had written to the police but received no response,” he added.

A similar incident happened on October 23.

A peaceful rally staged in Manokwari, capital of West Papua province, by the West Papua National Committee turned violent because police and military personnel tried to break it up, again saying that permission had not been given.

More than 10 protesters were reportedly arrested and four people injured during the clash.

“The government must respect the Papuans’ right to speak publicly,” Hesegem said.

Alves Fonataba from the National Papuan Solidarity accused the security forces of having “a negative bias” against Papuans.

“Therefore, every peaceful rally is considered a threat to the country,” he said.

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