ETAN wins John Rumbiak Human Rights Defender Award

17.7.09

Submitted: Australiasia Bureau-Chief: Ana/Sina Brown-Davis:

Dear ETAN Supporters,

The Executive Committee of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) is very proud to announce that ETAN and our National Coordinator, John M. Miller, have been awarded the John Rumbiak Human Rights Defender Award for 2009. The award is given annually by the West Papua Advocacy Team to organizations and individuals who have "contributed most substantially to protection of human rights in West Papua." The West Papua Advocacy Team is an important voice in support of the people of West Papua.

In giving the award the West Papua Advocacy Team stated "ETAN has been especially active in opposing the U.S. Government's open-ended assistance to the Indonesian military, the TNI, and to the militarized police, BRIMOB, which are the leading human rights abusers in West Papua and the rest of the Indonesian archipelago. ETAN also opposes any restoration of U.S. assistance to the Indonesian Special Forces (KOPASSUS). John M. Miller, has been a key leader in these efforts." Perhaps you heard John on Democracy Now! discussing the recent Indonesian election.

Our work in support for human rights in West Papua and to limit U.S. diplomatic and military support for Indonesia will continue until repression and rights violations are no longer common practices across the archipelago, particularly in West Papua.

For eighteen years ETAN has played a key role in shifting U.S. policy toward respecting human rights in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. We continue to demand justice for crimes committed by the U.S-supported Indonesian military. For more information on this award, WPAT and updates on human rights issues in West Papua, please visit http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/default.htm.

We are proud to receive this award. With your help we can not only continue, but intensify our efforts in support of the peoples of Timor-Leste and Indonesia. Please check out our website to see what we have been doing lately to support democracy, human right and accountability in both countries (www.etan.org).

Sincerely,

Craig Hughes, President on behalf of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network