Do you have a flag at your house, your school, your office, or on your car? In the US, many people display US flags, but you also see lots of other kinds of flags—flags from people’s countries of family origin, or rainbow flags for LGBT pride, or even confederate flags recalling the Civil War era. Whether or not you like a particular country’s flag, or agree with what a given flag stands for, you have to admit that people don’t often run into trouble for flying their various flags. They certainly don’t end up in jail. But then again, they don’t live in Indonesia.
On December 1, 2004, Filep Karma was arrested for raising a flag during a peaceful ceremony in Papua, Indonesia. Sentenced to 15 years behind bars for his nonviolent activism, Filep continues to be an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, and he needs our help! Now is the time to take action: flood the streets of DC, educate your community, Write for Rights, stand with Filep now!
Today marks the 7th anniversary of Filep’s arrest, and in honor of him, and of human rights everywhere, we’re mobilizing to call for his immediate and unconditional release! Coming on the heels of our incredible action at the White House on November 12 , we need your voice to amplify the call for Filep’s immediate and unconditional release. If you live in the Washington, DC area, we’ll be gathering in Dupont Circle at 5pm for a rally, and then together we’ll march down Massachusetts Ave to the Indonesian Embassy, where we’ll project images from people who have stood in solidarity with Filep from around the world. Will you be there?
Now is a crucial time to keep building the momentum for Filep, and for all prisoners of conscience in Indonesia. Even if you aren’t in the DC area, there’s a lot you can do: check out our 7 ways that you can take action on December 1 to learn more. Thanks for standing with Filep!