This blog was written by our partner, Yokbeth Felle, with contributions from the WITNESS team.
Baca versi Bahasa Indonesia di sini.
Across West Papua, the struggle for justice is ongoing—and often silenced. In the face of repression, community-led documentation efforts have become a lifeline for truth, memory and resistance. From hidden archives to grassroots films, this piece explores how Papuans are reclaiming their narratives and building tools for long-term accountability. WITNESS has supported these grassroots efforts through training, resources, and partnerships that help communities document safely and effectively.
The Urgency of Documentation
Extrajudicial killings, land dispossession, environmental destruction and systemic racism have become part of everyday life in West Papua, one of the most militarised and heavily surveilled regions in Indonesia. Human rights violations are widespread: press freedom is under attack, internet access is often restricted, and journalists and activists face intimidation, arrest and violence.
These are not isolated incidents—they form a consistent pattern of state repression and neglect. In the face of these abuses, Papuan communities have turned to documentation as both a tool of resistance and a means of survival. Whether through testimonies, protest footage, or hidden archives, these acts of memory ensure that the truth lives on.
Protest in West Papua demanding justice and an end to racism. Credit: Yokbeth Felle | Date and location undisclosed.
From Protest to Proof: The Rise of Community-Led Documentation
Since the era of President Soeharto’s New Order from 1967-1998, West Papua has experienced decades of state violence, repression, and militarization. This legacy continues today under President Prabowo Subianto himself, a former general shaped by Soeharto’s military apparatus whose administration has intensified military operations in the central highlands, resulting in mass displacement, trauma, and ongoing human rights violations. Against this backdrop, efforts to document, resist, and advocate for justice have become even more urgent.
In response to decades of abuse, advocacy institutions such as Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Papua (Papua Legal Aid), ELSHAM Papua (Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy in Papua), and Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the Franciscan Order (JPIC OFM Papua) were established to provide legal and humanitarian support. Alongside these formal efforts, communities across West Papua have taken to the streets to protest, speak out, and share their testimonies. As technology became more accessible, particularly in the early 2000s, more activists and journalists began using mobile phones to document their stories, share evidence of abuses, and assert their presence in the public record, often at great personal risk.
These parallel efforts, formal advocacy, grassroots resistance, and everyday documentation, have collectively shaped a powerful and evolving ecosystem of truth-telling, resilience, and collective memory in the face of ongoing silencing.
Since 1999, JPIC OFM Papua has consistently documented human rights violations in West Papua through its annual report titled Memoria Passionis Di Papua. Each edition adopts a different thematic focus, tailored to the specific violations and events of that year. Most recently, in April 2025, JPIC OFM launched its 43rd volume, titled “Tong Bicara Tapi Tong Jalan Terus” (“We Speak [our concerns], yet You Proceed [undeterred]). The report comprises analytical reflections by six authors on the state of human rights, socio-political conditions and socio-economic realities in West Papua throughout 2024. During the launch, Philosophy and Theology lecturer, Ignasius Ngar from Fajar Timur Jayapura, remarked that the work of JPIC OFM constitutes a deliberate and crucial attempt to sustain the collective memory of a people whose present realities are anything but peaceful.
This comment invited a deeper reflection: why is the act of preserving collective memory so critical in the context of West Papua?
Infographic from Amnesty International’s report “DON’T BOTHER, JUST LET HIM DIE” shows 95 unlawful killings in Papua (2010–2018), mostly involving security forces and marked by widespread impunity.
Memory as Resistance: Why We Record
Preserving collective memory in West Papua is vital in the face of ongoing political repression and erasure. Papuans continue to struggle for self-determination under what many see as a colonial relationship with the Indonesian state. Decades of military violence have left deep intergenerational trauma, while the loss of ancestral lands severs cultural and spiritual ties. As non-Papuan settlers assert dominance, indigenous identity is increasingly marginalised. Systemic racism further devalues Papuan lives and voices. In this context, to document is to resist—to say: We were here. This happened. And the world must not look away.
One emblematic case is the 2019 racist incident involving Papuan students in Surabaya, who were called “monkeys” and subjected to chants such as “Expel the Papuans.” According to information collated by the non-governmental organisation, TAPOL, at least 61 civilians were killed, including 35 indigenous West Papuans—30 of whom died from bullet wounds likely inflicted by Indonesian security forces. Over 284 civilians were injured, many avoiding hospitals due to fear of arrest. A total of 22,800 civilians were displaced—including more than 11,000 from Wamena and 6,000 Papuan students who returned home from across Indonesia. The crackdown also resulted in 1017 arrests, leading to 157 political prisoners and 22 individuals charged with treason.
“I know I have the legal right to resist all forms of racism. This country provides the space to learn, and I have studied its constitution, slogans and Pancasila. But why is my struggle for equality, humanity, social justice and freedom met with guns and imprisonment? I believe the right to speak and be heard is a constitutional and human right. I have exercised this right peacefully, without harming anyone. I believe that resisting racism is both a right and a duty for everyone who cares about social justice and human rights.” – West Papuan Activist (name undisclosed)
Community Media, Camera in Hand
In the aftermath of the 2019 protests, Papuan Voices, a local audiovisual media collective, played a crucial role in documenting demonstrations and the subsequent legal proceedings against activists charged with treason. Their consistent documentation between 2019 and 2023 culminated in the release of a 35-minute documentary titled “Hukum yang Tra Jelas di Tanah Papua” (“The Law that Isn’t Clear in the Land of Papua”).
This film serves as an important tool for education and reflection on the urgent need to document violence and injustice in Papua. The advocacy surrounding human rights activist Victor Yeimo’s case, including contributions to the above film, underscores how critical it is to record every moment—especially those that are fleeting and may never happen again. One such instance was when Victor was escorted to court under heavily armed guards and treated as if he were a terrorist. This moment was captured using a phone camera, with careful attention to image stability, lighting, contrast and sound quality, despite the risks and vulnerability of the situation.
Papuan Voices didn’t just rely on primary data; but also compiled secondary video footage from demonstrations in Manokwari, Fakfak and Sorong and safely stored them prior to an internet blackout and crackdown in 2019. These were archived on hard drives and later edited into the documentary.
This process reflects a growing awareness among community documenters about the importance of both immediate capture and long-term preservation—key pillars in the documentation strategy WITNESS promotes globally. To support these goals, WITNESS provides practical resources such as the Video as Evidence Field Guide, and Activists’ Quick Guide to Archiving Video. Visual media, especially when safely archived and verified, holds the power to challenge official narratives, preserve truth, and support future justice efforts.
From Festivals to Frontlines
The growing presence of film-based platforms such as the West Papua Mini Film Festival and the Papuan Film Festival further illustrates how community-rooted storytelling has become a powerful strategy for reclaiming Papuan narratives. These festivals offer vital platforms for indigenous filmmakers to assert their perspectives, challenge dominant state narratives and foster a culture of truth-telling through art. The West Papua Mini Film Festival, hosted in collaboration with the West Papua Project at the University of Wollongong in Australia, showcases works by Papuan filmmakers and grassroots documenters, while the Papuan Film Festival, organised locally in Papua—by Papuan Voices and its broader community network—emphasizes community engagement, youth participation and cultural resilience. Through screenings, workshops and dialogue, both festivals create space for reflection, creative expression and international solidarity.
“I think it is very important for the world to know what happened in West Papua, because human rights abuse happen every day and in every place” – Victor Mambor, founder of Jubi, a West Papuan news outlet
Festival Film Papua, first held in Merauke, Papua in 2017, celebrates grassroots storytelling and amplifies Papuan voices through film. Credit: Papuan Voices.
Victor Mambor, founder of the Jubi news media group, exemplifies the risks faced by Papuan journalists. Despite receiving the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courageous journalism, he has been repeatedly targeted for his reporting. In January 2023, a bomb exploded outside his home in Jayapura. This followed earlier acts of intimidation, including vandalism of his car in 2021. To date, no suspects have been arrested. Mambor, who also contributed to an award-winning Al Jazeera documentary about forest plunder in Papua, continues his work undeterred, insisting that Papuans must be free to tell their own stories. His journalism has drawn attention to issues not only within Indonesia, but across the Pacific, where he has also helped to establish the Melanesian Media Freedom Forum.
Building Archives, Sustaining Memory
Historically, advocacy and memory preservation in Papua have involved collaborations between non-governmental organisations and church networks. Bernard Koten from JFIC OFM, for instance, has experience documenting human rights violations using simple tools such as MP3 recorders, photographs, camcorders and eventually digital cameras. One of the organisation’s early documentaries advocated for the establishment of a traditional women’s market (Pasar mama-mama) in Jayapura. While much of this early documentation remains unpublished or archived offline due to safety concerns and access limitations, its impact continues to shape today’s approaches to community-based evidence gathering and storytelling.
JFIC OFM has established and maintained a robust archival system. Physical documents are stored in a dedicated archive and library room, while digital files are backed up on cloud-based platforms like Mega.nz and Google Drive. Their documentation is also shared with partners and made publicly accessible. This mirrors efforts by other grassroots initiatives across the globe—many of which are supported by WITNESS—to build secure, accessible and community-owned archives that protect evidence and preserve collective memory.
Global Solidarity and Long-Term Justice
International solidarity efforts, such as those led by TAPOL, have also contributed to sustaining documentation and advocacy. Through initiatives like Papuans Behind Bars, TAPOL has monitored and published data on political prisoners in Papua, amplifying the stories of those criminalised for expressing dissent. Their regular reports and online database complement grassroots visual evidence by providing structured, verifiable information that can be used for international advocacy and legal intervention.
In line with this, WITNESS has developed resources specifically for the Papuan context. The Filming Protests in West Papua tipsheet offers practical guidance on how to film safely and ethically in high-risk environments. It includes advice on legal considerations, protecting identities, securing data and ensuring the safety of both documenters and those filmed. The guide is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, making it accessible for local activists and citizen journalists.
Conclusion: Documentation as Resistance and Hope
In a land where silence is often enforced and truth suppressed, the steadfast efforts of community-based documentation initiatives in West Papua to record, preserve and share the lived realities of Papuans stand as a powerful act of resistance. These efforts do more than safeguard memory—they are strategic tools in the ongoing pursuit of truth and accountability. While justice may take time, documentation ensures that the truth is preserved and ready to support action when the moment comes. When used intentionally, it can expose abuses, challenge impunity and lay the groundwork for meaningful change. As part of this global movement, WITNESS helps people use video and technology to protect and defend human rights—ensuring that communities have the tools to tell their own stories and seek the justice they deserve.
To those on the frontlines—activists, communities and organizers—your work matters. Continue to Be Safe, Be Ethical, and Be Effective. Every image, testimony and archive strengthens the collective effort to honor lived experiences and bring about the justice that is possible and still to come.
If you’re looking to stay informed and better equipped, here are some resources and tools that may support your work:
Explore the WITNESS Resource Library for more tips and guidance on human rights documentation.
Yokbeth Felle is a human rights activist in West Papua who focuses on women’s issues. She currently works as a freelance researcher, supporting various organizations in studying education and healthcare challenges in Papua. Yokbeth is also involved in documenting several films on human rights violations in the region. Her activism extends into the digital space, where she uses online platforms to advocate for both women’s rights and the broader struggle for West Papua’s political rights and aspirations.
Published on July 17th, 2025.
