West Papua freedom fighter honoured

#977 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 Oct 2014.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to people or organisations who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Past Laureates include Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi , Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Jose Ramos Horta.

For the second year, Free West Papua Campaign founder Benny Wenda has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Benny has devoted his life to a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in West Papua, the western part of the island of New Guinea. Under Indonesian occupation, an estimated half a million Papuans have been killed there since 1961. The struggle for peace and self-determination has remained largely unreported, due to restrictions on the entry of foreign journalists and humanitarian organisations.

In a world of violence and oppression, it’s good to celebrate all who seek peace with justice.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.