While on my way to lunch this afternoon, I happened upon this striking mural on Castlehaven Road, Camden. The piece, by London based artist Dale Grimshaw, was created to raise awareness toward the occupation of West Papua by the Indonesian military.

Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua has been described by various human rights bodies as a brutal, torturous and genocidal human rights tragedy. In their fifty year struggle for independence, it is estimated that between 100,000 to 400,000 Papuans have died as a result of government-sponsored violence against West Papua. Pro-independence political activists who have spoken-out against the situation have been forced to either flee their homeland or face arrest, torture and death by Indonesian police forces.

Last year, the United States released a shocking report on human rights abuses in the region. In one particularly damning section, the report criticized the Indonesian State’s efforts to suppress free speech:

The constitution and the law provide for freedom of speech and press. The government used laws against advocacy of separatism to restrict the ability of individuals to advocate peacefully for independence.

The international community has largely ignored the call for Papuan autonomy – the British government openly stating this year that it does not support the campaign for independence. Nevertheless, a number of grass-roots organizations in support of Papuan liberation have emerged over the last several years. For example, The Free West Papua Campaign, an organization led from the UK and West Papua itself, is currently petitioning for a referendum on independence from Indonesia. For more information on the campaign see http://freewestpapua.org/