Modern Use
Jouwe was a member of the Council, and after the transfer of sovereignty of West New Guinea to Indonesia, he remained in the Netherlands as an advocate of the Free Papua Movement, a peaceful organization demanding independence from Indonesia. To this day, the Morning Star is flown by advocates across the World, especially since the UK based Free West Papua Campaign was set up by exiled West Papuan Independence leader and former political prisoner in Indonesia, Benny Wenda. Special ceremonies take place on December 1 of each year, to commemorate the first flag raising in 1961. The flying of the Morning Star was a source of controversy over human rights abuses by Indonesian authorities. Over 500,000 Papuans have been killed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) since 1961, some of them simply for raising tis flag which is illegal in Indonesia. Two Papuan men, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage, were sentenced to 15 and 10 year sentences for raising the flag in Jayapura in 2004.
Richard Chauvel (06 April 2011). "Filep Karma and the fight for Papua’s future". http://inside.org.au/. http://inside.org.au/filep-karma-and-the-fight-for-papuas-future/. Retrieved 18 April 2011. Pakage was released in 2010, having served five years of his term. Karma remains imprisoned and has alleged abuse at the hands of prison authorities. Amnesty International considered both men prisoners of conscience and named Karma a 2011 "priority case."
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