West Papua is a region fraught with tension, where the Indigenous population is intimidated and repressed to prevent the voicing of political views. This paper examines the price of protest in West Papua, where the struggle for self-determination has been violently stifled by Indonesian security forces for five decades. It aims to expose endemic injustice and abuse, and also to act as a microphone for those who, through non-violent means, risk life and liberty to express their hopes and dreams for a free West Papua.
Gemima Harvey is a freelance journalist, photographer, and researcher covering underreported issues relating to human rights, social justice issues, and the environment, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
Harvey, G. (2015). The price of protest in West Papua. Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity, 3(1), pp170-203. Available here: www.griffithlawjournal.org/#!volume-3-issue-1/c1z2j