Monday, December 1, 2014, is the 53rd anniversary of West Papua's independence. On this day in 1961 West Papuans were granted their freedom by the Dutch colonial government – they raised a new national flag and sang a new national anthem. A year later Indonesia launched a colonial invasion, and managed to annex the fledgling nation under a sham "Act of Free Choice" in 1969. Since then tens of thousands of civilians – almost all of them indigenous tribal people - have been killed.
Nick Chesterfield is a human rights journalist and Safe Witness Journalism trainer who co-founded the clandestine West Papua Media network (partners to the Pacific Media Centre) in 2007. A former human rights and refugee protection field worker, environmental, human security investigator and activist with 18 years of experience across indigenous Melanesia, Chesterfield is one the few non-Papuan journalists to dedicate to breaking the media blackout of West Papua despite lack of funding. He is still currently facing Indonesian espionage and subversion charges for journalist activities in West Papua, connected to the arrest of French journalists in August 2014, and ongoing smuggling of international journalists into West Papua.
In the workshop, Nick Chesterfield will be introducing West Papua Media's Safe Witness Journalism training, and the requirements and opportunities for effective journalism to occur in West Papua, and be supported by the international journalism community.
Chesterfield is also one of the presenters at the "Political journalism in the Asia-Pacific" conference at AUT University on November 27-29.
Organised by the Pacific Media Centre in partnership with West Papua Media and the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Coalition.
Where: WG803, Sir Paul Reeves Building, AUT University, Mayoral Drive, Auckland City. More information.
When: Monday, December 1, 6-8pm.