Open letter to the President of Indonesia:
I write with the support of the people of West Papua , New Guinea West
Papuans , to say that the global support for democracy and freedom,
and the end of 50 years of military colonization by Indonesia
Peaceful demonstrations are planned for January 17, 2013 at the
Embassy of Indonesia in Washington
DC Los Angeles West Papua , Yapen Waropen, Papua, and Australia Solomon Islands
Today, people around the world are
watching the peaceful demonstration in West Papua, where most are people are
ready to take to the streets with music, dancing, and their demand that
Indonesia free West Papua political prisoners.
Over the years, peaceful demonstrators in West Papua have been terrorized, imprisoned and killed by
Indonesian military police. Edison Waromi, one of West
Papua ’s human rights defenders, has been imprisoned for more than
14 years, and we were imprisoned together for two of those years. West Papuan
activists Edison Kendi and Yan Maniamboy currently are threatened with 20 years
in prison for organizing a nonviolent rally in support of the United Nations’ International Day of the World's Indigenous People in New York
We demand that Indonesia West Papua . We also request that
the UN Special Rapporteur, who is scheduled to be in Indonesia in January,
visit West Papua and meet with imprisoned political leaders of the Federated
Republic of West Papua, such as President Forkorus Yaboisembut, Prime Minister
Edison Waromi, and others.
Herman Wainggai
Former political prisoner and visiting
scholar at George Mason University