Quick Facts
Biography
Veronica Koman is a human rights activist and lawyer. She was awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award in October 2019.
Career
Indonesian officials charged her under Indonesia's electronic transaction (ITE) laws as a "provocateur" and for "spreading hoaxes".She went to Australia and in September 2019, Indonesia “threatened to ask Interpol to issue a red notice for pro-Papuan activist Veronica Koman, who is hiding in Australia, unless she reports to authorities by the end of Wednesday.”
The Guardian reported that after the red notice request was made, Australia refused to rule out handing over Koman to Indonesian authorities. They stated, “The Interpol “red notice” system – ostensibly used to “seek the location and arrest of wanted persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence” – is regularly abused by authoritarian governments to pursue dissidents or political opponents who have left the country's territory.”