When West Papua was handed over, against the will of the people, to Indonesia in 1963, the people of West Papua have been subjected to gross human rights violations including rape, torture, cultural genocide, murder, and massacre carried out by the Indonesian military.
Several activists and independence leaders live in exile as they have been banished from their own country for fighting for its freedom.
Today, multinational corporations in collusion with the Indonesian Government continuously plunder the lands and resources of West Papua to unprecedented levels. This has caused massive large-scale displacements, environmental degradation, and loss of economic and cultural resources for the indigenous population. Human rights violations have also become rampant in areas where these multinationals operate.
December 1st marks the Global Flag Raising Day of West Papua’s national flag - The Morning Star. On this day in 1961, the flag was first raised in West Papua before it was occupied by Indonesia. Now, Papuans are joined by supporters across the world through mass actions and symbolic flag raising activities. Raising the Morning Star in Indonesian territories can result in 15 years of imprisonment with the risk of being tortured and murdered by police and military forces. Despite this, West Papuans will continue to bravely raise their flag to assert their sovereignty and in protest of Indonesian occupation of their lands.
Join the Flag Raising Campaign by Free West Papua:
Take a photo of you and/or your group raising the Morning Star Flag on December 1st
If you do not already own one, flags can be ordered from our website here: freewestpapua.org/shop or by printing one out here: freewestpapua.org/resources
You can also make a Morning Star Flag. The time and creativity put into the handmade flags are very special and appreciated by the West Papuan people
Tag us with your photos @freewestpapua and by using the hashtags #GlobalFlagRaising #FreeWestPapua and #LetWestPapuaVote
The post voted ‘Best Photo’ will receive a goody bag filled with Free West Papua Campaign gear and a special surprise!
