26 May 2012

Amnesty International slams Indonesia over Papua rights violations

9:27 am on 26 May 2012

Indonesia is facing criticism again over its human rights record in Papua following a year of continued unrest and the jailing of leading political activists in the troubled region.

In its annual report on the state of human rights around the world, Amnesty International describes Indonesia as giving inadequate responses to rights abuses.

The report directed its heaviest criticism over allegations of torture and unnecessary use of excessive force by Indonesia's military in Papua.

It points to a raft of violations in Papua in 2011, including at the Third Papuan Peoples' Congress in October when security forces opened fire on participants, causing at least three deaths.

Amnesty spokesman, Josef Benedict, says that no one has been held accountable for most cases of violence by the security forces, including during the Freeport strike and the Congress.

Mr Benedict says this has created a climate of impunity in Papua.