22 Jul 2005

Papuan human rights leader wins award in Canada

1:25 pm on 22 July 2005

A legal aid worker and human rights leader from the Indonesian province of Papua, Yan Christian Warinussy, has been named the winner of the 2005 John Humphrey Freedom Award by Canada's Rights & Democracy institution.

Mr Warinussy is Executive Director of the Institute for Research, Analysing and Development of Legal Aid, which defends the rights of Papuans affected by the Indonesian military's control over the region.

Rights & Democracy describes Mr Warinussy's work as a powerful example of commitment to human rights in the face of extreme adversity, intimidation and threats to his personal safety.

In the past year, Mr Warinussy served as an independent human rights advisor on the resettlement of Papuans affected by a huge new British Petroleum natural gas facility in the province.