Activist Veronica Koman Joins Amnesty International Australia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Human rights activist Veronica Koman has joined Amnesty International Australia to lead the watchdog's strategic campaigns. Confirming this news, Koman sent a text to Tempo "Hope I can uphold the trust," on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. 

According to Veronica, her main role will be to act as the liaison for Amnesty International and state officials, politicians, and ambassadors in Australia on matters related to human rights issues in the country and on a global scale. 

"This includes advocacy for the aboriginal community who are still suffering from genocide to this day," Veronica said. 

Despite joining with Amnesty International Australia, Veronica pledged to continue advocating for the Papuan people. "The human rights violations in Papua are at a global scale, so surely I will [continue advocating for them]," she said. 

Veronica is a well-known activist who is often vocal about human rights violations in Papua. Her name once appeared at a demonstration that was triggered by the issue of racism in Papua at the end of 2019. Indonesian police accused Veronica of instigating the demonstration because of her tweet regarding this incident.

Apart from her Papua advocacy, Veronica Koman's experiences include handling cases involving minority groups under LBH Jakarta in 2014. She also accompanied seven female students in cases of sexual violence in a boarding school. In early 2016, Veronica acted as the legal representative for an elderly couple suspected of being victims of modern slavery.

M ROSSENO AJI