Ministry of Human Rights dispatches team to meet family of pregnant woman shot dead in Papua

The Ministry of Human Rights (KemenHAM) has assigned a team to facilitate the recovery of the family of a pregnant woman who died after being shot while inside her home in Sugapa, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua. Deputy Minister of Human Rights Mugiyanto stated in Jakarta on Tuesday that the team would visit the victim’s family home to identify their needs. “We are making efforts to go down and meet the victim’s family to ensure the state is present. So, we will identify what their needs are,” Mugiyanto said. According to him, the initial need required by the victim’s family is psychological support. “We imagine that the need for psychological strengthening is usually required, as well as other urgent matters,” he stated. In addition, he said his party would also coordinate with relevant ministries and institutions in recovery efforts and handling issues in Papua so that the government’s responsibility can be carried out. Mugiyanto emphasised that human rights must be understood comprehensively, as they relate not only to civil and political rights but also encompass economic, social, and cultural rights, such as the rights to health, education, employment, and housing. Previously, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) gathered initial information regarding a firefight between security forces from the TNI’s Habema Operational Command and an armed group from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM) in Wandoga Village, Sugapa District, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua, on Thursday night (2/7). In the incident, a woman named Melkiana Duwitau, who was seven to eight months pregnant, died along with her unborn baby after being struck by a bullet. Komnas HAM also noted an escalation of violence in Papua in recent days, resulting in casualties including a priest, a TNI soldier, a member of an armed group, and a foreign national pilot of a pioneer aircraft. From information received by Komnas HAM, the burning of an aircraft belonging to the Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) at Bintuni airstrip in Balinggama, Yahukimo Regency, resulted in the death of the pilot, United States citizen Nicholas F. Goselin, while seven passengers were reported to have survived.