Amnesty: Indonesian forces behind unlawful killings in Papua

In this March 20, 2017 file photo, a Papuan activist whose body is painted in the colors of “Morning Star” separatist flag shouts slogans as police officers stand guard during a protest in Jakarta, Indonesia. Amnesty International said Monday, July 2, 2018 there have been dozens of unlawful killings by security forces in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region since 2008, including targeted slayings of activists, and a near total absence of justice for the mainly indigenous victims. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Amnesty International said there have been 95 unlawful killings by security forces in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region since 2008, including targeted slayings of activists, and a near-total absence of justice for the mainly indigenous victims.

In a report based on two years of research, Amnesty said on Monday that more than half the victims were either political activists specifically targeted or people taking part in peaceful protests often unrelated to the Papuan independence movement.

It said none of the killings was investigated independent of the security forces responsible. In about a third of the cases, there was not even an internal investigation, it added.

An independence movement and an armed insurgency have simmered in the formerly Dutch-controlled region since it was annexed by Indonesia in 1963.  /kga