Brussels Declaration on West Papua

We, the undersigned Parliamentarians, urge the Indonesian government to facilitate a visit to West Papua by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). West Papua is in the grip of a significant humanitarian crisis and requires urgent international attention. The UN estimates that 60,000-100,000 indigenous Papuans were displaced as a result of Indonesian military operations between December 2018 and March 2022. According to data compiled by human rights defenders, a total of 76,228 West Papuans remained displaced as of September 2023.  

Over 85 countries have now called for the OHCHR visit, including all member states of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), and individual nations including the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. The European Commission has also called for a visit, with Vice-President Josep Borrell stating, ‘The EU encourages Indonesia to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua and has urged Indonesia to extend standing invitations to all Special Rapporteurs and Mandate holders.’ At Indonesia’s 2022 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) eight countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, expressed profound concern over the human rights situation in West Papua and urged immediate investigation.  

Despite inviting then-Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein to investigate in West Papua in 2018, Indonesia has so far failed to honour this promise. His successor, Michelle Bachelet, was also unable to secure access to West Papua during her four-year term, despite saying in 2019 that the Indonesian government had assured her they were “looking forward to it” [the UN visit]. Given that five years have since passed without any progress towards the OHCHR visit, we are concerned that Indonesia is deliberately blocking the UN from investigating human rights abuses in West Papua.  

Continued refusal to facilitate an OHCHR visit to West Papua is a violation of Indonesia’s obligations as a UN member state and the will of the international community. We call on the Indonesian government to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into West Papua as soon as possible. 

If you are a Parliamentarian and you wish to sign the Brussels Declaration please email [email protected]

Signed,

1. Alex Sobel, MP, Labour Party (UK)
2. Gorka Elejabarrieta, Senator, EH Bildu (The Basque Country; Spanish State)
3. Carles Puigdemont, Member of the European Parliament, Together for Catalonia (Catalonia; Spanish State) 
4. Lord Lexden OBE, Conservative (UK)
5. Rt. Reverend Lord Harries of Pentregarth, Crossbench (UK)
6. Martyn Day, MP, Scottish National Party (Scotland; UK)
7. Jordon Steele-John, Senator, Australian Greens Party (Australia)
8. Jeremy Corbyn MP (UK)
9. Rt. Hon Lord John Kilclooney, Armagh (UK)
10. Lord Hannay of Chiswick (UK)
11. Claudia Webbe, MP (UK)
12. Apsana Begum, MP, Labour Party (UK)
13. Kobi Shetty, NSW Assembly, Greens (Australia)
14. Caroline Lucas, MP, Green Party (UK)
15. Bill Kidd, MSP, Scottish National Party (Scotland; UK)
16. Laure Vega, Catalan Congress, CUP (Catalonia; Spanish State)
17. Carles Riera, CUP (Catalonia; Spanish State)
18. Patrick Grady, MP (Scotland; UK)
19. Andrew Wilkie, MP, Independent (Australia)
20. Powes Parkop, Governor, National Capital District (Papua New Guinea)
21. Duncan Webb, MP, Labour Party (New Zealand)
22. Ingrid Leary, MP, Labour Party (New Zealand)
23. Rachel Boyack, MP, Labour Party (New Zealand)
24. Nadia Whittome, MP, Labour Party (UK)
25. Antoni Comín I Oliveres, MEP, Together for Catalonia (Catalonia; Spanish State) 
26. Adrian Rurawhe, MP, Labour Party (New Zealand)
27. Peter Bottomley, MP, Conservative Party (UK)
28. Juanjo Ferrer, Senator, Independent (Catalonia; Spain)
29. Sara Bailac Ardanuy, Senator, Republican Left of Catalonia (Catalonia; Spanish State)
30. Laura Castel Fort, Senator, Republican Left of Catalonia (Catalonia; Spanish State)
31. Chris MacManus, MEP, Sinn Féin (Ireland)
32. Jordi Solé, MEP, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Catalonia)
33. Idoia Villanueva, MEP, Unidas Podemos (Spain)
34. Stelios Kouloglou, MEP, Independent (Greece)
35. Pernando Barrena, ex-MEP & prospective MEP, EH Bildu (Basque Country)
36. Mertxe Aizpurua, MP, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
37. Jon Iñarritu, MP, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
38. Pilar Calvo Gómez, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
39. Josep Maria Cervera Pinart, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
40. Josep Maria Cruset Domènech, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
41. Isidre Gavin i Valls, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
42. Marta Madrenas i Mir, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
43. Miriam Nogueras i Camero, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
44. Eduard Pujol Bonell, MP, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
45. Joan Baptista Bagué Roura, Senator, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
46. Josep Lluis Cleries i González, Senator, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
47. Maria Teresa Pallarés Piqué, Senator, Junts per Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
48. Mario Zubiaga, Senator, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
49. Josu Estarrona, Senator, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
50. Luke Uribe-Etxebarria, Senator, EAJ-PNV, (Basque Country; Spanish State)
51. Hector Sanchez Mira, Senator, Comunistes de Catalunya (Catalonia; Spanish State)
52. Paavo Arhinmäki, Deputy Mayor of Helsinki, Vasemmisttoliito (Finland)
53. Diana Urrea, Member of the Basque Parliament, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
54. Oihana Etxebarrieta, Member of the Basque Parliament, EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
55. Iñigo Martinez Zatón, Member of the Basque Parliament, Izquierda Unida (Basque Country; Spanish State)
56. Irati Jimenez, Member of the Parliament of Navarre EH Bildu (Basque Country; Spanish State)
57. Pelle Dragsted, MP, Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)
58. Jussi Saramo, MP, Vasemmistoliitto (Finland)