Freedom in Entangled Worlds

On Monday, I had the opportunity to meet Eben Kirksey, a cultural anthropologist at the CUNY Graduate Center who studies the political dimensions of imagination as well as the interplay of natural and cultural history. Eben gave a lunchtime lecture at the Anthropology and Religion department at Tufts University, during which he spoke about his first book, Freedom in Entangled Worlds, is about the indigenous political movement in West Papua.

Eben happened to be in West Papua in 1998 during the initial independence demonstrations. On July 1, 1998, he was in Jayapura in West Papua when there was a small independence demonstration. Eben said he was speaking with a professor when the demonstration started and the police arrived shortly after. One demonstrator was shot and killed, and a school girl was shot and wounded.


View West Papua in a larger map

The next day, Eben was on the ferry to Biak, where Filep Karma was arranging for the raising of the Morning Star Flag. This was the first time the Morning Star Flag had been raised in 30 years, Filep himself wasn't even sure what the flag looked like, and he had to find someone who could make one. During the peaceful ceremony, Filep urged supporters to arm themselves only with prayer and hymns, and declared:

We the people of West Papua pledge to struggle to uphold the ideal of the independence of West Papua.
We the people of West Papua declare that the Republic of Indonesia cannot interfere in the affairs of West Papua.
We the people of West Papua ask that our security be guaranteed by the United Nations and by no one else.

Within the next few days, Indonesian authorities cracked down brutally. As Filep gathered his followers using hymns, Indonesian authorities formed a U around the gathering and began shooting. Filep himself was shot twice, and about 29 others were shot and killed. Filep Karma was eventually arrested and jailed for 10 months.

In 2004, Filep arranged another flag raising on the anniversary of Papuan independence from the Netherlands. Again, Indonesian forces are alleged to have used violence against the Papuan demonstrators. Filep was arrested and charged with treason for this peaceful demonstration and is still serving a 15-year prison term.

Eben had some fascinating insights from his time in West Papua, and I'm very much looking forward to reading his book.

More good news from Burma

According to Irrawaddy.com, as many as 200 prisoners were released Friday in Burma under a new presidential pardon. Among the prisoners released was would-be Get On The Bus 2012 priority action U Khun Htun Oo, whose case was adopted by Group 133 last year.

Pro-democracy activist Htay Kywe was among those released from prison yesterday in Burma.

From Irrawaddy.com (full story here):

Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe, Mya Aye and Nilar Thein are among 650 prisoners released on Friday under a new presidential pardon. 

Family members of political prisoners told The Irrawaddy on Friday that they were informed by the authorities that their relatives are on the list of freed prisoners. It was also reported that former Burma spy chief Khin Nyunt and intelligent official ex-Col San Pwint have also been released, as were ethnic political prisoners including Hkun Htun Oo and prominent Buddhist monk U Gambira, who was an organizer of the 2007 'Saffron Revolution.” Journalists including Zaw Thet Htwe were also freed. 

Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Friday from outside Thayawady prison, Nilar Thein, said, “I’m happy, and I will be very happy to see my family. We will get involved in democratic reform with Auntie [Aung San Suu Kyi].” 

“The reforms introduced by President Thein Sein and Auntie Suu are what we have so long been waiting for. But we have to work harder for the remaining colleagues who are still in prison. If all of them are released, that will be a beautiful image for all of us,” she said. 

[...] 

Amnesties under the new government that freed more than 27,000 convicts since last May were disappointing as they included only 200 or so political detainees. The current estimate of political prisoners ranges from about 600 to 1,500, though the government insists no one falls into the category because they are simply criminal convicts. 

The government TV announcement read on Thursday: “For the sake of state peace and stability, national consolidation and to enable everyone to participate in political process and on humanitarian grounds, the government will grant amnesty to 651 prisoners so that they can take part in nation building.”  

More coverage on Amnesty International USA:

But as more than a thousand political prisoners may remain behind bars, many of whom are prisoners of conscience, the amnesty must continue until all are freed according to Amnesty International.  

"This release of political prisoners is a major step forward, but more must be released," said T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA's director of international advocacy. There were high expectations that all political prisoners would be released following Secretary Hillary Clinton's landmark visit to Myanmar in December 2011. Yet, more than a month has passed, and there may be more than one thousand political prisoners still in custody. Secretary Clinton should insist that all prisoners of conscience be released immediately and urge the Burmese authorities to lift any conditions attached to the released prisoners."

Progress in Burma

Yesterday, from NPR:

The United States announced Friday that it will exchange ambassadors with Myanmar, also known as Burma, partly in response to the release of hundreds of political prisoners there. This is the latest development in what appears to be a dramatic turnaround for the repressive government in that Southeast Asian nation. President Obama calls the prisoner release "a substantial step forward for democratic reform." Currently, the U.S. Embassy is headed by a charge d'affaires rather than an ambassador.

The rest of the story here.

NYT coverage of Burma

See the New York Times front page article here.

GOTB Celebrates Sweet 16! Part 2

After the morning speaker's panel, we broke for lunch and then reconvened outside of the Chad Mission to the United Nations to call on the Chadian government to protect Darfur refugees and IDPs living within their borders. The energy that students brought to the demonstrations was striking.

Photo: Scott Langley Photography.

From there, we moved to the Sri Lankan Mission to the UN to call for independent investigation of war crimes committed by both sides during the Sri Lankan Civil War. A number of passers-by seemed intrigued by the goings-on, and our student activists handed out flyers and information.

Photo: Kelly Turley.

Our Filep Karma action was an interesting one, as Dag Hammarskjold Plaza is apparently a popular demonstration spot on a Friday afternoon.

From Demotix.com:

New York -- three separate rallies, for three separate causes, came together at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza on Friday afternoon. 

Dozens of supporters showed up at 3pm for the Yemen/Libya rally, to show solidarity with the uprisings in those countries. An hour later, more than a hundred high school and college students marched in, part of Amnesty International's "Get on the Bus For Human Rights" program, supporting Filep Karma, a prisoner of conscience in Indonesia. These younger protesters had been bussed in from New England. 

Mixed in with the crowd, were 4 protesters who comprised a 'flash mob', rallying in support of the Goldstone Report, against Shimon Peres appearance at the UN. 

All three causes stood side by side, shared the space and the microphone and the media attention. There must be something in the air this spring.

The day concluded at the Chinese Mission to the UN, and through the rain, our demonstrators kept up their tireless energy, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen.

This was my first Get On The Bus, I've been looking forward to the event since November when I started working with Group 133. And although I woke up terribly sick on Saturday morning, I can say now (after a few days of antibiotics), that the experience was well worth all the work and even the maladies. The coordination team is an amazing group of people, taking time out of busy personal lives to pull this event together. The students and participants are equally inspiring with their creativity and energy during the event. And of course, the expert speakers and the success stories make the event well worth all the work.

Thanks to everyone who worked and participated to make Get On The Bus's Sweet Sixteen a smashing success!

Shine a light, Save a life

Less than 24 hours until Get on the Bus hits the streets of NYC. We're burning the midnight oil here in Somerville, MA. Tuesday night, 15 volunteers sorted and collated print materials. Danielle and Helen stayed until 10pm! Val worked overtime finalizing the bus passenger lists Wednesday. Patrick will be packing up the car with posters, event programs, and merch. I wonder if they're main lining caffine, like me?

It takes a huge effort of time and energy by a small group of volunteers to pull off an event of this size year after year. Did you know we plan for GOTB six months in advance, including selecting which cases to profile? This year, event planning was underway well before the wave of peaceful protests in North Africa and the Middle East and the subsequent news of repression of students in Iran and the torture of women in Egypt, among other human rights abuses reported.

In recent weeks, we also learned that Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leaders Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are currently being hunted by police. Both have been arbitrarily arrested on numerous occasions in the past following peaceful protests and have been detained for periods of up to 37 days. Let's be blunt -- they're being harrassed and intimidated by police.

Knowing the that the threat of arrest is always real and immediate, Jenni lives out of a suitcase and in safe houses, ready to move a moment's notice (starting at the 1:40 minute mark).

Video by [wide angle] via Amnesty International: Demonstrating Under Dictatorship

I was deeply moved by Jenni's speech at Amnesty International's Annual General Meeting in March. She's the type of leader who incites hope. It's individual stories of hope -- the human face of determination and survival -- that resonate most strongly with me.

Tom Stoppard -- who's probably my favorite playwrite of all time -- describes the work of Amnesty International in the UK Guardian:

What it does, he says, "is connect awareness to protest globally… And, of course, the very phrase 'a prisoner of conscience' is a very potent idea. Someone who's been locked up because of his conscience."

On this Friday and next, GOTB will embody the connection between awareness and protest. We'll draw attention to some of our human rights concerns, including prisoners of conscience like Dhondup Wangchen, filmmaker of the documentary Leaving Fear Behind and Filep Karma, a West Papuan activist. And we've tested the batteries to make sure we'll have working megaphones to amplify our voices so that diplomats and international leaders will know we are on their doorstep.

We need you to join us -- in person and virtually -- to make the greatest impact! Jam the fax lines. Flood inboxes with messages of hope. Pre-formatted letters are available for download on the GOTB website. Or just take a moment of action: shine a little bit of love and light on Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu by signing a letter online.

Papua Digest

Our friends across the pond at Amnesty International UK have launched "Papua Digest," as part of their comprehensive Papua campaign.

At this year's Get On The Bus event in New York City - in solidarity with our friends in the Washington, D.C. area and Mid-Atlantic region - we will be calling for the immediate release of Filep Karma. A former civil servant, Filep Karma was arrested in December 2004 for taking part in a peaceful flag-raising ceremony in Apepura, Papua Province in Indonesia. Karma and other activists were raising the "Morning Star" flag, a symbol of Papuan independence. Indonesian law forbids the display of regional logos or flags which are symbols of separatist movements. He was convicted of treason in May 2005 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.*

Amnesty International takes no position whatsoever on the political status of any province of Indonesia, including calls for independence. However the organisation believes that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate referendums, independence or other political solutions. Amnesty International therefore considers Filep Karma to be a prisoner of conscience and is calling for him to be released immediately and unconditionally.

There is a lot of information about the history and human rights situation in the West Papua region. Including a report called, Indonesia: Jailed for Waving a Flag - Prisoners of Conscience in Maluku (PDF).

*Compared to the eight- to tenth-month sentences that were given to Indonesian soldiers who tortured and abused Papuan villagers. Read the Amnesty International reaction here.

Case Update: Filep Karma

The Free West Papua Campaign shared this image on their Facebook page today:

Shocking image showing political prisoner Filep Karma's detention cell at the Jayapura police station where he is being held with fellow prisoner Buchtar Tabuni. The shed is attached to the back of the police station. Filep is forced to sleep on a bench as there are many rats carrying typhoid scuttling around on the floor every night

Filep Karma is a West Papuan activist and prisoner of conscience. We plan to demonstrate on Filep's behalf at this year's GOTB event and call for his immediate and unconditional release. Soon, I'll post more detailed information here about Filep Karma's case and the human rights situation in the West Papua region of Indonesia. In the meantime, you can find links to the relevant Amnesty International USA pages below.

• Individuals at Risk: Filep Karma on Amnesty International USA
• Country Concerns: Indonesia on AI USA

The next GOTB planning meeting will be on Tuesday, February 1 at 7 o'clock at the AI-USA Northeast Regional Office in Davis Square. During this meeting, the Group 133 Refugee Action Team will present detailed information on the GOTB 2011 action on behalf of Darfuri refugees and IDPs in eastern Chad.

Focus on Sri Lanka Action

At last night's Group 133 meeting a Group 133 member and GOTB coordinator gave a presentation detailing the GOTB 2011 Sri Lanka action, including the actions "asks," the current situation in Sri Lanka and background and history regarding the 30 year civil war.

Some History:

Sri Lanka is an island nation off the southeastern coast of India. The island was occupied for some 2,000 years by the neighboring Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms, but like many of the island's neighbors, Sri Lanka (or Ceylon, as it was then known), eventually came under the influence of European colonial powers. The Portuguese arrived in the early 1500s, then the Dutch in the 17th Century, and eventually the British annexed the territory in the 1800s. After World War II, during the decline of colonialism, Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, however, the island which had traditionally been ruled by separate kingdoms, was now under one government, the majority of which was Sinhalese.

Independence:
A pattern of Sinhalese discrimination against the Tamil majority began early in the newly independent nation. In 1949, Sinhalese began colonization of Tamil territories in the north and east of the island, in 1956, the government named Sinhalese the sole, official language of the country. In 1970, the government began a policy of "ethnic standardization," severely limiting access to higher education for Tamil students. By this time, peaceful protests and demonstrations of Tamil people were met with violence by the government. During the 1970s and 80s, Tamil militant groups began forming, most notably, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or "Tamil Tigers." While the Tamil Tigers primarily targeted Sinhalese military targets, they also conducted targeted political killings, even killing Tamil government officials or academics they considered to be "traitors" to the Tamil cause.

Civil War:
Between 1983 and 2009, the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government battled while civilians were often caught in the crossfire. Both sides are accused of committed war crimes, particularly during the final stages of the war in 2009. These include the use of child soldiers and attacks on civilians by the Tamil Tigers, and extra-judicial executions, carpet bombing and indiscriminate massacres of civilians and Tamil fighters by the Sri Lankan government. Ultimately, the war left up to 40,000 civilians dead and some 300,000 people displaced.

"The war has ended - not the conflict."
Although the Sri Lankan government militarily defeated the Tamil Tigers in 2009, troubles continue for the Sri Lankan people.  A climate of repression continues in the country, particularly for journalists; politically motivated killings continue with no investigations. Humanitarian NGOs are very restricted in their work: the Red Cross is restricted from working in the north, and other NGOs are allowed only to deliver material goods and restricted from provided psychological support, community rebuilding, addressing women's needs or searching for missing persons.

GOTB 2011 Sri Lanka Action:
The 2011 Get On The Bus Sri Lanka Action will call on the UN to launch an investigation into war crimes committed during the civil war by both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE).

The pressure for an investigation into war crimes is high right now, making a GOTB action on this issue all the more relevant. Pressure is especially high after the release of an execution video in November of last year.

As I posted in my December 28 post, there is currently a three-person panel investigating alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the war. This panel will report back to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with their recommendations for possible future actions.

For more information:

• International Crisi Group - Sri Lanka
• Amnesty International USA - Sri Lanka (lots of resources and action information)
• Human Rights Watch - Sri Lanka (news and downloadable PDF reports)
• UNHCR - Sri Lanka country profile
• UN Human Rights Commission - Sri Lanka
• The ICRC in Sri Lanka
• WFP - Sri Lanka
• BBC News - Country Profile: Sri Lanka
• CBC News - The History of Sri Lanka 
• Reporters without Borders | Reporters Sans Frontières - Sri Lanka
• Committee to Protect Journalists - Sri Lanka

Case Update

The picture below shows Filep Karma looking merry and healthy yesterday, the day after Christmas, after having traveled to Jakarta for much-needed medical care in August of this year. The picture appeared on the Free West Papua Campaign's Facebook page yesterday.

(Filep Karma and Buchtar Tabuni in Polda Prison, Jayapura, December 26, 2010. Photo by Ricky Dajoh)

Check back here for more detailed case information about all the planned 2011 actions, including actions in support of Filep Karma, Dhondup Wangchen, Darfur refugees in Chad and internally displaces persons within Chad, and calling for an independent investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka.

All of us of Group 133 are very excited this year that our friends in the Mid-Atlantic and Washington, D.C. region will be holding solidarity actions at embassies in D.C.! Right now, New York City events are tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2011 and the D.C. events for Friday, April 15, 2011. Check here often for updates.

The next GOTB planning meeting will be Tuesday, January 4, 2011, students and activists, GOTB veterans and newcomers who are interested in helping organize this year's GOTB events are encouraged to attend. (We're currently looking for someone to help update and maintain the GOTB web site, www.gotb.org.) Contact Group 133 for more info.

Note: Amnesty International takes no official stance regarding the independence movements in West Papua or Tibet, but rather is concerned for the human rights of the people living in those areas as well as those of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders acting on behalf of their people.

A Get On The Bus Success Story

One of the actions of the 2010 Get On The Bus event included demonstrating outside the Sri Lankan Mission to the United Nations and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of J.S. Tissainayagam.

J.S. Tissainayagam, or "Tissa," a Sri Lankan journalist, was arbitrarily detained by the police in Colombo on March 7, 2008 and subsequently indicted five months later. Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, two articles written by Tissa which criticized the government's conduct in war against the Tamil Tigers, were used to convict and sentence him to 30 years hard labor. In May of 2009, President Barack Obama specified Tissa as an "emblematic example" of the unfortunate truth of mistreatment of journalists.

On August 31, 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to 30 years rigorous imprisonment, but Tissa appealed his conviction. On January 11, 2010, the court granted his request to be released on bail while his appeal was pending. Amnesty International considered him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely in connection with his journalistic activities.

On May 3, 2010, the Sri Lankan government announced that President Rajapaksa had planned to grant him a pardon, but the pardon had not yet been issued. The long-awaited presidential pardon was finally issued in mid-June. J.S. Tissainayagam left Sri Lanka and entered the United States on June 19, 2010. Thanks to those who took action on his behalf.

(Tissa speaking at the 2010 Amnesty International Northeast Regional Conference in November at Boston University.)

You can read about more Get On The Bus success stories and history on the GOTB web site.

A video message from Filep Karma

In this video, Papuan prisoner of conscience Filep Karma thanks supporters from his hospital bed. Amnesty supporters helped secure much-needed medical attention for Filep. He returned to prison shortly afterward.

Get On The Bus 2011

Group 133 and other Get On The Bus supporters have begun planning for next year's Get On The Bus (for human rights) event!

Last night Group 133 members voted for four actions to be included in the April '11 event:

• Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan filmmaker and prisoner of conscience and Group 133's special focus case.
• Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Filep Karma, a West Papuan activist who was arrested by Indonesian authorities in 2004 for raising the outlawed Morning Star flag. Karma is the AI-USA Mid-Atlantic region's special focus case.
  
• Calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to establish an independent international investigation into war crimes committed by both the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers during the Sri Lankan civil war.
• Urge the government of Chad to protect refugees from Darfur and internally displaced persons from Chad, particularly women and girls.

Of course, these may change or be tweaked as the event draws closer. We're really excited this year because our friends in the Washington DC and Mid-Atlantic region will be holding their own Get On The Bus solidarity actions in the Capital.

Watch here for more information about Get On The Bus '11, the cases mentioned above and other details about the event. For more information visit the Get On The Bus web site at www.gotb.org or the Group 133 web site at www.amnesty133.org.

Ma Khin Khin Leh is Now Free!

After almost a decade in prison, Burmese prisoner of conscience Ma Khin Khin Leh was released by the Myanmar authorities last Saturday, February 21st. Since 1999, Ma Khin Khin Leh, a school teacher, had been imprisoned due to her family’s pro-democracy work. She and her husband, Kyaw Wunna, were organizing a peaceful demonstration in Bago. Days before the planned demonstration, authorities came to arrest her husband. While Kyaw Wunna was not there, authorities did find Ma Khin Khin Leh and the couple's three-year old daughter, Thaint Whunna Khin. Ma Khin Khin Leh and her daughter both were arrested. Thaint Whunna Khin was held for five days, and became the one of the world’s youngest political prisoners. Ma Khin Khin Leh was given a life sentence, and served almost 10 years before her release last week.

Ma Khin Khin Leh, along with Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Tin, was featured in last year’s Get on the Bus action. Since Get on the Bus 2008, both Ma Khin Khin Leh and U Win Tin, Myanmar’s longest held prisoner of conscience, have been released. Unfortunately, Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation’s democratically elected leader, remains under house arrest.

Thank you for all of your work to help free Ma Khin Khin Leh. Now that she is free, let’s use our powerful energy to call for the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the estimated 2,100 remaining political prisoners in Myanmar!

Please go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/priority-cases/aung-san-suu-kyi-and-ma-khin-khin-leh/page.do?id=1101239 for more details about Ma Khin Khin Leh and Aung San Suu Kyi.