Sarah, Mama Yosefa to get Yap Thiam Hien awards
Sarah, Mama Yosefa to get Yap Thiam Hien awards
JAKARTA (JP): Sarah Lary Mboeik, an activist from East Nusa
Tenggara, and Mama Yosefa Alomang, an Irianese tribal rights
advocate, were named the recipients of this year's Yap Thiam Hien
human rights award.
The announcement was made here on Friday by Center for Human
Rights Studies (Yapusham) executive director Todung Mulya Lubis.
Sarah, a 34-year-old mother of two, and Yosefa will receive
their awards on Dec. 10, Todung said.
He added that President Abdurrahman Wahid, who once served on
the panel of judges, is scheduled to attend the presentation
ceremony.
Todung said a panel of judges picked the two from among seven
nominees, which included East Timor independence leader Jose
Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao.
"The panel made a unanimous decision that Sarah and Mama
Yosefa have served beyond the call of duty in human rights
protection and promotion," Todung said during a media briefing.
He said the decision was also based on the fact that Sarah and
Yosefa were widely known in their respective communities and that
they never resorted to violence in their struggle.
The panel of judges for this year's award comprised
sociologist Mely G. Tan, law professor Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri,
Boy Mardjono and social observer Ignas Kleden.
The award, named after a late prominent Indonesian human
rights activist and lawyer, was first made in 1992.
Previous recipients include rights activists Sandyawan
Sumardi, H.J.C. Princen, slain labor activist Marsinah, lawyer
Trimoelja D. Soerjadi and rights activist Munir of the Commission
for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence.
Sarah is a graduate from the Nusa Cendana University's school
of agriculture in the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang.
Yapusham said Sarah has been active in human rights campaigns
since the Kupang riots in late 1998.
Sarah, at that time, set up a reconciliation forum to forge
peace in Kupang and then in March she also set up the Solidarity
Forum for Peace in East Timor, Yapusham said.
Since then Sarah has been actively establishing local and
international networks to carry out collective campaigns against
human rights abuses in East Timor.
Sarah is also an assistant investigator of the government-
sanctioned inquiry on human rights abuses in East Timor.
Meanwhile Yosefa, despite her exterior demeanor as a
housewife, has been helping the Amungme and Komara tribespeople
in Irian Jaya to campaign for their rights against mining giant
PT Freeport Indonesia.
There have been repeated accusations that the giant mining
company has been polluting and destroying the local environment.
It was due to Yosefa's activism that she was arrested and
allegedly interrogated and tortured by security personnel in
October 1996.
Yapusham said that Yosefa filed a lawsuit against Freeport in
a New Orleans court later that year. She also filed a class
action lawsuit against the company earlier this year.
In the latest development, Yosefa was again detained by police
in Irian Jaya for protesting Thursday's shooting incident of
civilians by police. (byg)