Human Right Activist and lawyer, Maryam Musa Sambo has condemned the kidnapping and hostage taking of Captain Phillip Mark Mehrtens, by the armed Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua province.
In a statement by Rights lawyer, Sambo in Abuja, Nigeria said: “The recent Kidnaping and hostage taking of Captain Phillip Mark Mehrtems, a pilot for the Indonesian aviation company Susi Airways was one of the most recent insurgence of the Armed Separatist Group.
Barrister Sambo who is also a member of the Internnational Federation of Women FIDA Lawyers, described the kidnap of Captain Mehrtens as cruel, inhumane, degrading and a flagrant violation of his fundamental Human Rights which is enshrined in several international Laws.
She appealed to the group to release the pilot in respect for human rights and so he can reunite with his family.
“I therefore Appeal to the Armed Separatist Group led by Egianus Kogoya to immediately release the pilot from their custody out of respect for Human Dignity, Human Values and Human Rights. I am equally positive that Nigeria as a country with strong diplomatic ties with Indonesia will support and provide all the necessary help the Republic of Indonesia will need to tackle this menace. (AsiaAfrican Conference 1955)”, she pleaded.
Recall that Phillip Mark Mehrtens of Christchurch, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was abducted by independence fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, who stormed his single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro in remote Nduga district.
The plane, carrying five passengers, was scheduled to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a health center in Paro after a group of separatist rebels led by Egianus Kogoya threatened to kill them, said Nduga district chief Namia Gwijangge.
Sparatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region released a video Wednesday appearing to show the New Zealand pilot they took hostage saying that recent Indonesian military attacks threatened his safety.
Papua Province was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1969 after a United Nation’s sponsored ballot. Since then, a low-level of insurgency has simmered within the province.
Confidence Okwuchi
