The Biak Massacre – 15 Year Anniversary

The Citizens Tribunal for the 15th Anniversary of the Biak Massacre was held on Saturday July 6th at the University of Sydney. Full Video Footage from the Tribunal is now available on the site
Full Video Footage from the Tribunal

Full Video Footage from the Tribunal

View full video footage from the Tribunal held at the University of Sydney on Saturday, July 6th.
Photography From Biak

Photography From Biak

Stunning photography from the beaches of Biak
The Victims

The Victims

Read articles and reports from some of the victims from the massacres
Photography From Biak

Photography From Biak

Stunning photography from the beaches of Biak
Background

Background

Read more about the background of the Biak Massacre and the Citizens Tribunals
Latest Features
Massacre Location

Massacre Location

  One survivor said: “The attack on July 6th took place in the morning, when we were under the water tower. During the initial attack the troops assembled around us in a U formation. There were Brimob police in riot gear, army troops(Kopasgad), a company of soldiers from the local Kodim barracks, as well as Navy personnel. ...
We Have Come to Testify

We Have Come to Testify

This record and illustrated book contains songs and spoken testimonies delivered over Melanesian beats and soundscapes. The illustrations by Michael Kumnick have been drawn based on the testimonies of survivors and witnesses of the 1998 Biak massacre in West Papua, as given at the 2013 Citizen’s Tribunal. ​ The events as told by the survivors echo...
The Biak Tribunal: Trailer Video

The Biak Tribunal: Trailer Video

“From July 2 to July 6, 1998, when the military opened fire, the morning star flag flew over the thirty-five-meter-tall water tower near the harbor in Biak town. (Biak is the name of the island, the district, and the district capital.) The demonstration was led by a Jayapura-based provincial government employee named Filip Yopy Karma…The...
Verdict Announced

Verdict Announced

The Citizens Tribunal announced its findings on Monday, 16 December, 2013. Our findings were featured in The Guardian and by ABC News 7:30 in a special broadcast: Searching for the truth about a massacre in West Papua
Opening Statement from Nicholas Cowdery

Opening Statement from Nicholas Cowdery

THE BIAK MASSACRE CITIZENS TRIBUNAL University of Sydney, 6 July 2013 OPENING STATEMENT I appear with Gustav Kawer of West Papua, recipient in Amsterdam of the “Lawyers for Lawyers” award for 2013, to assist the Tribunal. Mr Turnbull SC and Mr O’Gorman SC appear also and will make submissions in due course – I shall return...
Photos of Ships Involved in the Biak Massacre

Photos of Ships Involved in the Biak Massacre

Kakap Class (PBOH) (NAV I) KRI Kakap  Indonesia 811 1988–Present   KRI 811 photographed by Eben Kirksey on July 6th, 1998. Frosch I Class (Type 108) (LSM) KRI Teluk Berau  Germany 534 GDR Eberswalde-Finow (634) Teluk Berau (Berau Bay), a name of bay in East Kalimantan province. Sunk as target on 13 October 2012 in...
Filep Karma Testimony

Filep Karma Testimony

Video Testimony from Filep Karma

Concluding statement: Prof. Nicholas Cowdery

Names Without Graves

Names Without Graves

  The detailed report, “Names Without Graves, Graves Without Names” by Elsham Papua has just been translated.   This report, which was completed in the months immediately following the massacre, contains essential background for anyone who is conducting research on this event.  For over fifteen years it was only accessible to Indonesian speaking researchers, and...
A Collective Testimony read by Ronny Kareni

A Collective Testimony read by Ronny Kareni

We have come to testify. There is much that we want the world to know. We want to testify about the injustices of the Biak massacre. We want to testify about the killings and the beatings with rifles. We want to testify about the people who were disappeared, those who were imprisoned and those who...
Introduction and Musical Welcome

Introduction and Musical Welcome

Video Testimony: Filep Karma

Video Testimony: Filep Karma

Video Testimony: Sarah

Witness: Tineke Rumakabu

Witness: Tineke Rumakabu

Written Testimony: A Story of Rescue

A written testimony read in English.