Mr. Yones Douw, a member of the indigenous Me tribe, who documents alleged violations in West Papua, (IDN 2/2020 ), was included in the 2021 report of the Secretary-General on allegations that he was targeted, questioned by military officers, monitored and followed in relation to documentation and reporting of alleged human rights violations to OHCHR. According to information received by OHCHR, Mr. Fatuban and Mr. Douw continued to receive phone calls from the authorities inquiring about their work, and who they report to. They were both reportedly followed and remained under surveillance by unidentified individuals. Reportedly, on 31 March 2022, the residence of Mr. Douw was also under the surveillance of a drone.

122. The case of Mr. Yones Douw, a member of the indigenous Me tribe who documents alleged violations in West Papua (IDN 2/2020124),was included in the 2021 and 2022 reports of the Secretary-General on allegations that he had been targeted, questioned by military officers, monitored and followed in relation to documentation and reporting of alleged human rights violations to OHCHR.
123. According to information received by OHCHR, during the reporting period, Mr. Doww was put under the surveillance of unidentified individuals, who follow him and monitor his house. Since 27 January 2024, Mr. Douw has reportedly observed what appears to be a drone hovering over his house at least two to three times per week between 9 pm and 1 am. This situation continued at the time of writing. Reportedly, local community members as well as members of the indigenous Me community have been approached intermittently by personnel from the Military Intelligence unit in Nabire (Intel Kodim Nabire) with questions about their engagement with Mr. Douw and requesting Mr. Douw’s mobile phone number and address, in an attempt to intimidate both him and his community and deter him from carrying out his work as a human rights defender in Papua, including through cooperation with the United Nations. During the reporting period, Mr. Douw continued to share information and testimonies with the United Nations on human rights.
124. In its concluding observations of 14 March 2024, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, expressed concern about cases of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders, in particular those advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and on environmental and land-related issues, including with references to the allegations of reprisals included in the Secretary General’s report since 2021. In this connection, the committee also raised concerns about the use of Law No. 11/2008, on electronic information and transactions, to criminalize the work of human rights defenders (E/C.12/IDN/CO/2, para. 8). The Committee recommended that the State party ensure a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders, in particular those advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and on environmental and land-related issues, to amend or repeal overbroad criminal provisions contained in articles 27 and 28 of the revised Law No. 11/2008 as well as to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all reports of harassment, intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice (E/C.12/IDN/CO/2, para. 9 (a), (b) (c)).