AK Rockefeller Topics

police

Black Lives Matter Downunder

Black Lives Matter Downunder

The #BlackLivesMatter movement has swept across the world in a wave that has taken many by surprise. In America, African-Americans are incarcerated at times the rate of white people, are regularly racially profiled a ...

Thai Ban on Women Police Cadets Increases Vulnerability of Sexual Assault Victims

Thai Ban on Women Police Cadets Increases Vulnerability of Sexual Assault Victims

The Royal Police Cadet Academy announced this week that it will not admit female candidates from the next academic year. It has given no explanation for the decision. “This is a very backward move for womenR ...

We Will Not Be Silent

We Will Not Be Silent

“Until President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo delivers on his promises to address human rights abuses in Papua, expect apologies, not justice, for future police killings of Papuans.” – Human Rig ...

The Citizen’s Constitution in The Land of Smiles

The Citizen’s Constitution in The Land of Smiles

Junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said criticism would be forbidden until a new constitution was in place. A constitution that allegedly would facilitate the return of democracy to Thailand, and increase the ...

Young Malaysians on a Mission: #TangkapNajib

Young Malaysians on a Mission: #TangkapNajib

Tough times for an unpopular Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, and for ordinary citizens. The country is deeply engulfed in scandals, primarily regarding Najib’s pet project, a state-investment fund, 1Mala ...

Hundreds Rally for the Release of Students Detained in ThaiSouth

Hundreds Rally for the Release of Students Detained in ThaiSouth

Thai army arrested 50 students and young people on June 2, in the conflict-torn southern provinces of Thailand. The students are affiliated with PerMAS (Federation of Patani Students and Youths) along with othe ...

Patterns of impunity and deceit in Myanmar

Patterns of impunity and deceit in Myanmar

A UN supervised investigation is needed before more atrocities are committed against the Rohingya Muslims. Yet another deadly attack on Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority made the news recently, this time taking ...

Indonesian military gears up for oppression in West Papua

Indonesian military gears up for oppression in West Papua

The Indonesian military has big plans and has made some big purchases. They have just acquired 8 units of AH-64 Apache combat helicopters as well as a number of submarines. Will they end be used for defense or to s ...

Mi’kmaq resist brutal police crackdown on fracking blockade

Mi’kmaq resist brutal police crackdown on fracking blockade

In case you hadn't already heard, on October 17th RCMP officers violently descended on a blockade led by the Mi’kmaq Warrior Society in New Brunswick, Canada. The blockade was was preventing Houston-based SWN ...

Despite police bans, a day of peaceful resistance in West Papua

Despite police bans, a day of peaceful resistance in West Papua

Today marked the 51st anniversary of the signing of the devastating New York Agreement (1962). This treaty gave Indonesia permission to take complete control of West Papua, having already occupied parts of it. Poli ...

Police ban West Papuan rally, crack down on gatherings

Police ban West Papuan rally, crack down on gatherings

A number of peaceful protests and cultural parades, planned to protest the signing of the New York Agreement on the 15 August 1962 have been banned by the police in West Papua. The peaceful protests co-ordinated by t ...

Indonesian police shoot dead a Papuan youth with mental disorder

Indonesian police shoot dead a Papuan youth with mental disorder

We are very sorry to report the murder of West Papuan youth, Irwan Wenda (27) who suffered from a mental nervous disorder, by 5 members of the Indonesian police in Wamena yesterday at 10:30. Over 500,000 innocent Wes ...

Police Violence: Chronology of the Case of Andinus Karoba

Police Violence: Chronology of the Case of Andinus Karoba

Andinus Karoba was arrested for nothing and forced into a truck with his hands and legs in handcuffs. While driving to Polresta, Andinus was shot three times, twice in his leg, on his thigh and calf, and once in th ...

Biak Massacre Eyewitness
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Biak Massacre Eyewitness

This video, by a key eyewitness, offers more background for the Citizens Tribunal on Saturday. She talks about the initial moments of the assault, about how protestors were shot by troops from all sides, and the truc ...

KNPB activists sing for freedom from behind bars in West Papua
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KNPB activists sing for freedom from behind bars in West Papua

We are KNPB activist in Timika, West Papua. Indonesia Police jailed us with no reason. Indonesian police jailed Romario Yatipai, Steven Itlay, Yakonias Womsiwor, Paulus Marsyom, Alfred Marsyom and Yanto Awerkion sinc ...

EIA: Rogue Indonesian Cop’s Illegal Logging Operations
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EIA: Rogue Indonesian Cop’s Illegal Logging Operations

A video of illegal logging operations in the ecologically outstanding Raja Ampat Islands of West Papua has today been released by environmentalists following the arrest of rogue Indonesian cop-turned-smuggler Labora ...

Wave of Protests Signals Fundamental Shift in Malaysian Society

Wave of Protests Signals Fundamental Shift in Malaysian Society

The present wave of protests seem to suggest a fundamental shift in Malaysian society today – there is a collective change of mood, away from passive and subservient acceptance of an authoritarian political or ...

Thuggery haunts all levels of Indonesian society

Thuggery haunts all levels of Indonesian society

Thuggery haunts all levels of Indonesian society. Thuggery, or “premanisme,” flourishes because of weak leadership, lax security and poor law enforcement. And the country now is witnessing thuggery at an ...

West Papua: Indonesia Uses Soldier Deaths to Escalate Conflict

West Papua: Indonesia Uses Soldier Deaths to Escalate Conflict

Eight Indonesian soldiers were killed on February 21 in West Papua. The attacks were claimed by the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (TPN-OPM). The attacks came after a series of violent crackdowns by Indonesian ...

Human Rights Watch: End Silence on ‘Disappeared’ Lao Activist

Human Rights Watch: End Silence on ‘Disappeared’ Lao Activist

There is strong evidence that Sombath, a prominent 60-year-old social activist, was forcibly disappeared by Laotian authorities more than two months ago. The Lao government’s long silence about Sombath Somphon ...