Benny Wenda, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) President, has called for an international arrest warrant on Prabowo Subianto, the new Indonesian President.
Wenda accuses Prabowo of being a dangerous war criminal complicit in genocide in both East Timor and West Papua.
According to Wenda, Prabowo, as a General and leader of the Kopassus unit, orchestrated massacres in East Timor, including the 1983 Kraras slaughter and the killing of hundreds by ‘ninja’ killers in the 1990s.
Wenda claims that Prabowo’s brutality extends to West Papua, citing an incident in 1996 when he, as the commander of Kopassus, deceived the Red Cross during a hostage transfer, leading to a massacre of OPM fighters.
Wenda also accuses Prabowo’s family of contributing to death and destruction in West Papua through their mining and palm oil interests, emphasising the environmental and cultural impact of palm oil production.
Highlighting the recent brutality in West Papua, Wenda said that over the past half-decade, at least 1400 Papuans have been killed, and more than 100,000 displaced.
Wenda blames Prabowo, who, as Defence Minister, increased military presence, turning areas like Nduga, Intan Jaya, and Yahukimo into warzones. Wenda warns that Prabowo’s military-centric approach will exacerbate the situation.
Drawing parallels between Prabowo and the ghost of Suharto, Wenda claims that despite a change in regime, the Indonesian government still relies on military power.
He describes Prabowo as too brutal even for the Indonesian military in the 1990s, forcing him out after involvement in the rape and massacre of Chinese-Indonesian women and girls.
Wenda said that Prabowo’s rise in the military was fueled by corruption and nepotism, marrying Suharto’s daughter.
Despite being banned from the U.S in 2000 under the UN convention against torture, Prabowo has never faced true justice, according to Wenda.
Wenda urges the international community, including lawyers and parliamentarians, to push for Prabowo’s arrest under war crimes legislation when he enters their respective countries, raising awareness about the impending disaster in West Papua.
