OPEN TERROR AGAINST THEO HESEGEM (HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER)
“Every wiritings that has been edited using my photos as Human Rights Defender is not true (Hoax) made by paid parties. I believe that this is a part of psychological warfare. ”
Theo Hesegem clarified regarding 4 photos that have been edited in manners I was not aware or approve of, then were shared by facebook accounts by the names of Silvia Wenda, Trisa Krisnanto, and Johan Tabuni in some public facebook group. Perhaps, this is the methods used by those who disliked me and my work as Human Rights Defender in Papua Land. This is one of terror methods and psychological intimidations done by those who suffered loss from Human Rights Defender.
For me, people who edited and posted pictures like this were not something new. Several years ago, my photos were edited and published to social media in similar manners. I believe that there are many games that the state intelligences have to trap Human Rights Defender in this country, especially in Papua.
I think the people who edited my photos are stupid, reckless, and unprofessional, and they had no employment because they wrote writings that I never actually wrote.
Papuans, Indonesians, and International communities need to know that this is the current conditions that Human Rights Defender in Papua are facing. These pictures were edited after we(YKKMP and other parties) conducted a meeting on 29/05/2025, in Jayawijaya regency post shooting incident at Wamena regional general hospital against Jayawijaya Police Department.
Initially, the information regarding shooting incident at the hospital was done by an unknown individual (OTK). After I saw the news, our team immediately went to Wamena regional general hospital (RSUD Wamena) to verify the incident. After seeing the condition of the victim there, we went back home.
On 29/05/2025, at 06:00 AM WIT, I saw and read a statement made by the TPNPB-OPM, Sebby Sambom, in his written statement he said: “ the shooting done in front of General Regional Hospital of Wamena was done by TPNPB Regional War Command III Ndugama-Darakma, and we are ready to be held responsible.”
After I saw and read the statement, I produced a demand letter to the government of Papua Pegunungan (Mountain Papua), Jayawijaya Regency Government, Legislative Representatives of Papua Pegunungan Province (DPRP), Regional Legislative Representative of Jayawijaya Regency (DPRD), Papuan People Councils (MRP), Jayawijaya Police Department (Kapolres), and District Military Commander (Dandim) 1702 Jayawijaya to immediately conduct an emergency meeting.
After that, the Jayawijaya regency government took this matter seriously and shared invitation letters to every parties concerned, and conducted the emergency meeting in jayawijaya regent’s office.
Later in the meeting, representatives from provincial government, regency government, Dandim 1702 Jayawijaya, intelligences from many institutes, Department of Jayawijaya regency Indigenous Community (LMA). The meeting was led by Jayawijaya regent, regional provincial secretary of Papua Peguungan Province, and regional jayawijaya regency secretary.
The meeting went well and normal as it used to be. In that meeting, I informed: “we have been caught off guard, while in Papua here there are many intelligences, we were attacked in the city, and it is our fault.”
I think that “ in the Regional General Hospital of Wamena (RSUD Wamena), there should not be any shootings in any form, because the International Humanitarian Law forbids it.”
And then I wrote about the hospital shooting in the hospital, a violation of International Humanitarian Law, after I wrote that TPNPB has violated the rights of medical workers, and patients. Because the hospital area must be guarded, no shootings because that disturbed the convenience of patients and medical workers.
After two days, I then found an edited photo of myself. I do not know who is responsible for this, was it from the actual state intelligence, or paid intelligence service, who went undercover using a facebook account. They made it as if I threatened the TPNPB National Liberation Army of West Papua. This photo was posted on Facebook under Johan Tabuni and Silvia Wenda facebook accounts.
The headline of the post with my face says, “ Shooting in Wamena General Regional Hospital violated the International Humanitarian Law.” This news was then covered by a news agency in https://wartaplus.com/read/19963/Penembakan-di-Area-Rumah-Sakit-Umum-Wamena-Melanggar-Hukum-Humaniter
This news was then used as commodity product for the real state intelligence or paid intelligence, to fish for attention and build hate narratives, fish for angers, made people insult each other, corner and blame each other. These perpetrators made these attacks, fully aware that I am a Human Rights Defender in Papua.
In my opinion, people who do things like these are the actors who created so many crimes in Papua land. They should have known that Human Rights Defenders live in harmony with any parties, we do not hate and insulted anyone, whether it is the TNI/POLRI, TPNPB and also civilians. Including the people that created and edited these hateful contents.
I am fully aware that these photo edits are an act of terror, and psychological threat of intelligences against the Human Rights Defenders in Papua. Those people need to know that threatening, terrorizing, and creating conflicts are not the job descriptions of Human Rights Defender. These acts on the other hand, can create physical and psychological harms.
