In this regard, the rights commission's chairperson, Atnike Nova Sigiro, highlighted the importance of providing high quality of public services in health, education, and the local economy.
Apart from providing the best public services for local communities to de-escalate conflicts and violence in Papua, she also urged the government to continue to implement what she called "measured approaches."
"Using the measured approaches for dealing with conflicts and violence in Papua was indispensable to guarantee the safety and protection of human rights of civilians and security personnel on the ground," she emphasized.
Komnas HAM also appealed to the government to enforce law against anyone committing violence in Papua, she noted in a press statement that ANTARA received here, Sunday (April 14).
Instead, the government should also provide protection and justice for the victims, she stated while underlining the fact that human rights violation could occur if the state applied excessive use of force.
In addition to the undue use of force without considering the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and accountability, the violation of human rights could also take place when the state failed to ensure fair law enforcement for the victims.
Hence, the law enforcement officers were pushed for transparent and accountable handling of violence cases and an accountable enforcement of law against the violators for the sake of the supremacy of law.
Thorough evaluation at the levels of operation, command, and security control in handling every armed violence in Papua is also needed to improve security-related policies in this easternmost region, she stated.
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Komnas HAM, however, respects the government's authority to respond to the Papua situation by, for instance, changing the terminology for naming an armed criminal group, or KKB, into the Free Papua Organization, or OPM.
"Komnas HAM will study the legal references that the government has used to change the terminology," Sigiro remarked.
Apart from the shift in using the terminology, the rights commission reiterated the importance of implementing a standardized human rights protection in both conflict and non-conflict situations, she stated.
In this regard, state civil apparatus, security personnel, and armed groups must guarantee the safety of civilians in Papua, she noted.
Komnas HAM condemned all forms of violence, including the case of sexual violence against two women in Nabire District and the killing of an army officer in Paniai District, Central Papua, on April 10, 2024.
The army officer assaulted and shot dead by several armed Papuan rebels was identified as commandant of the 1703-04 Aradide Sub-district Military Command Second Lieutenant Oktovianus Sogalrey.
Komnas HAM also condemned the deaths of civilian children due to gunfights between security personnel and armed rebels in Sugapa Sub-district, Intan Jaya District, on March 1, 2024 and April 8, 2024, she remarked.
Those cases revealed that "anybody could fall victim to the conflicts and violence that have frequently happened in Papua", she added.
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Translator: MS Khalida, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
