When the human rights lawyer Yan Christian Warinussy returned home from work on July 17, his 10-year-old son, Mario, begged for ice cream. Warinussy took off his tie, packed his three children and their cousin into the car, and they headed to downtown Manokwari in Indonesia’s West Papua province.
Warinussy, 60, is the head of the Institute for Research, Assessment, and Development of Legal Aid in Manokwari, and has led many important human rights cases over the last two decades. His work over the years has earned him some enemies.
On the way downtown, Warinussy stopped to withdraw cash from a bank ATM. As he crossed the street back to his waiting vehicle, he stood at the meter-wide street separator for traffic to clear. Suddenly, he told Human Rights Watch, he heard a sound, like a thud. “There was pain in my chest,” Warinussy said. “I immediately thought it was a shooting.”
“My reaction was to look at the roofs of the banks and stores to spot a sniper, but I saw nothing suspicious.”
When he got into the car, his daughter Winny cried out, “Dad, your chest is bleeding.”
They drove to a nearby Manokwari police station. The police took him to the hospital, where staff found a black tin pellet that dropped to the floor while Warinussy was undressing for his medical examination. The attending doctor said Warinussy had been spared any serious injury, and determined that the pellet likely hit a rib without deeply penetrating his body.
The West Papua police chief, Inspector General Jhonny Edison Isir, visited Warinussy in the hospital, and promised a thorough investigation.
Thus far, the police have recovered CCTV footage of a dark green Toyota Raize minivan passing by, allegedly with the shooter aiming at Warinussy at close range.
Warinussy is recuperating now at home, but his family, friends, and clients worry about further – more serious – attacks. The authorities need to conduct an impartial investigation to identify and prosecute all those responsible. The government needs to ensure that human rights defenders are properly protected, including those they face in court.
