July 1, 2021
The Merdeka West Papua Support Network joins the struggling people of West Papua on the commemoration of the 50th year of the Papuan people’s proclamation of the Republic of West Papua.
This historic independence proclamation led by the Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka) would be the first of many collective assertions of the Papuans’ right to self-determination. West Papua’s struggle for self-determination persists amid heightened military aggression from Indonesia, backed by foreign powers such as the UK and Australia.
The valiant people’s movement, composed of Indigenous communities and grassroots activists, produced generations of freedom fighters wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of genuine liberation and equality.
While we remember those who have passed, many more continue to stand up and fight together in different ways. Today, we reiterate the call for the immediate and unconditional release of all Papuan political prisoners, including a dear comrade, Victor Yeimo.
We are urgently appealing for international recognition and respect of West Papua’s right to self-determination. As we strive to recover from a global health crisis, let us take part in ending a genocide that is just as deadly and relentlessly taking lives.
Uphold West Papua’s right to self-determination! Free West Papua!