Biak massacre

The Biak massacre was the killing of West Papuan pro-independence demonstrators on the island of Biak, Papua Province, Indonesia, in 1998.

On the morning of 2 July 1998, unarmed villagers, including Nobel Peace prize nominee and political prisoner Filep Karma raised the West Papuan Morning Star flag at a water tower. In the afternoon, Indonesia police and military fired tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowd but was unsuccessful. This resulted in a stand-off that lasted several days until the morning of 6 July where the Indonesian security forces surrounded and fired upon the crowd.

According to Elsham Papua, a local human rights organization, 8 people were killed and a further 32 bodies were found near Biak in the following days. The Free Papua Movement claimed that around 150 people were killed.

To this day, no one has been charged with the killings and the massacre is not officially recognized. No government or international enquiry has reported on it.

Biak Massacre Citizens Tribunal
In 2013, The Biak Massacre Citizens Tribunal was held at the University of Sydney before jurists Keith Suter and John Dowd with Nicholas Cowdery the former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions acting as counsel assisting.

In his concluding statement, Nicholas Cowdery said, “This was not, on the morning of the 6th of July, some sort of spontaneous violence, it came after days of careful contemplation by the authorities about what was happening and how it might be approached.”

Recent events
In 2023, the Australian Greens used Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Australia to bring attention to the Biak Massacre with Senator Jordan Steele-John stating, "“The government and ADF decision-makers must be held accountable for concealing the truth about the Biak Massacre."

In 2024, the anniversary of the Biak Massacre saw the raising of the Morning Star flag by West Papua supporters at the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney.

External links and further reading

 * Tim Advokasi Hak Azasi Manusia untuk Rakyat Irian Jaya, "Laporan Pelanggaran HAM di Biak" (undated report)
 * Tim Advokasi Hak Azasi Manusia untuk Rakyat Irian Jaya, "Laporan Pelanggaran HAM di Biak" (undated report)