Health of West Papuan Activist Deteriorates while in Indonesian Detention
Health of West Papuan Activist Deteriorates while in Indonesian Detention
This May, the West Papuan activist Victor Yeimo was detained by the Indonesian government in Jayapura on charges of treason and inciting violence and social unrest in connection to several protests in 2019. Yeimo, 39, is being treated at a hospital for serious injuries, and many in the international community believe that the Indonesian government will fail to provide sufficient medical support, leaving him to die in prison. Reports from September 21st suggest that Yeimo is suffering from poor health. A reporter for the UN has warned that hostile governments commonly don’t provide adequate care to dissidents, which amounts to a human rights violation. Yeimo, who has chronic tuberculosis, claims to have been kept in a poorly ventilated cell, and West Papuan Activists have expressed outrage at his restricted access to a lawyer and his family (Papuans Behind Bars)
Indonesian officials have sought to reassure the international community that Yeimo is receiving all the care that he needs. They also debate Yeimo’s status as a human rights advocate, claiming that Yeimo, along with the West Papuan separatist movement, is a violent and unjustified actor hiding behind the title of “human rights activist” to gain publicity and immunity from Indonesian law (Jakarta Post).
West Papua was a Dutch colony until 1963, when the imperialists promised the West Papuans independence. Indonesia, however, had different plans and voted to annex it in 1969. The territory, which lies to the far east of the Indonesian archipelago, has been a hotbed of revolutionary activity for decades. Yeimo is the spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee, one of the major pro-independence groups in the region (Reuters). After skirmishes with separatists that led to civilian and military deaths in spring of 2021, the Indonesian government declared the West Papua National Liberation Army, another pro-independence organization, a terrorist group. As of today, thousands caught between the government and the separatists have fled their homes and Yeimo’s status remains uncertain.
https://www.papuansbehindbars.org/?prisoner_profile=victor-yeimo