Biak Massacre Citizens Tribunal

Biak Massacre Citizens Tribunal

Venue John Woolley Building, Theatre N 395,

University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales

6th July, 2013, 10.00am – 5.00pm

(Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC/GMT +10 hours)

Fifteen years ago, on July 6th, 1998, Indonesian security forces surrounded unarmed protesters in West Papua at dawn and began firing into the crowd. Scores were killed. Many survivors of this initial assault were loaded onto boats, brought into open ocean, and dumped overboard to drown. This Saturday, July 6th, 2013, the West Papua Project at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Sydney University, is hosting a panel of distinguished scholars, judges and lawyers to hear direct evidence from survivors of this atrocity. The Biak Tribunal will use the system of Coronial Inquest, a formal inquiry into a death. On Tuesday, July 9th, the citizens tribunal will issue formal findings about the conduct of key perpetrators in the atrocity and recommendations for future action.

Shortly after Indonesia’s President Suharto was forced out of office by a popular uprising in May 1998, the people of West Papua began channeling this democratic energy in a new direction. Hundreds of peaceful West Papuans took to the streets on July 1st 1998, asking for the opportunity to vote on the issue of independence. On the island of Biak demonstrators occupied the harbor, but government security forces gunned them down. “Citizens around the world are demanding justice on the fifteenth anniversary of this massacre,” says Dr. Eben Kirksey, key organizer of the tribunal, who witnessed the attack in 1998. Over ten survivors of the Biak massacre will present testimony to the tribunal and are available for interview.

The Biak Citizens Tribunal will generally follow the format of a Coronial Inquest, which is a formal inquiry into a death. This inquiry will look and act much like a court. Counsel Assisting will perform a role much like the prosecution, while designated Other Interested Parties will act much like defence attorneys--critically evaluating evidence and cross-examining witnesses. The tribunal will issue formal findings about the conduct of various actors and recommendations about possible future proceedings and additional avenues for investigation.

Interested members of the public are welcome to attend

Note: Jurists and citizens presiding over the inquiry remotely will need time after the tribunal hearing to review video footage and assess the evidence. Release of a statement of findings and recommendations will be delayed until Tuesday, July 9th.

Watch the Tribunal proceedings live: http://www.biak-tribunal.org/

Memorial Concert

Sunday 7th July, 7-10pm
Biak Massacre Memorial Concert
Featuring David Bridie, Rize of the Morning Star, and John Gordon
Cafe Church, corner of St. Johns Road and Colbourne Avenue, Glebe

Open to the public, free entry or by donation, beef curry and rice dinner
$10, byo wine. Doors open 6pm

7 – 8pm       Memorial service for victims and survivors of the Biak Massacre
8 – 10pm      Live music: David Bridie; John Gordon; Rize of the Morning Star.

Presiding Jurists

Hon John Dowd, President, International Commission of Jurists, Australia. Chancellor of Southern Cross University

Dr Keith Suter, Chair, International Commission of Jurists (NSW). Director of Studies, International Law Association (Australian Branch)

Ifdal Kasim, Indonesian Lawyer. Former Head of the Indonesian Government Human Rights Commission (Ketua Komnas HAM). Will participate in the tribunal via remote video link.

Jose Carlos Marroquin, Guatemalan journalist and newspaper publisher. A key force in the recent genocide trial of former Guatemalan President José Efraín Ríos Montt. Will participate in the tribunal via remote video link.

Prosecutors

Gustav Kawer, a West Papuan human rights lawyer who has worked for the Papua Legal Aid Foundation since 2000. Recipient of the 2013 Lawyers for Lawyers Award in Amsterdam.

Prof Nicholas Richard Cowdery, Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW. Former Director of Public Prosecutions for New South Wales and President of the International Association of Prosecutors.

Defence

Graham Turnbull SC, New South Wales Barrister. Called to the Bar by Grays Inn in London after working for legal aid in New South Wales, he has been involved in terrorism cases, extradition prosecutions and cases involving incitement to racial hatred.

Dan O’Gorman SC, Queensland Barrister. Appointed Senior Counsel in 2006, he has represented numerous high profile defendants in criminal trials as well as indigenous people in prominent human rights and civil cases.

ENDS

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