April 29, 2015
Indonesian killings demand strong response
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says New Zealand should be making more noise about human rights violations in trading partners like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Two Australian drug smugglers were today shot by an Indonesian firing squad despite international calls for them to be spared.
Ms Turei says the Greens have also been concerned about Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua, where an estimated 500,000 people have died over the past 50 years.
She says New Zealand needs to see relations with countries as being about more than trade deals.
"Indonesia is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture and so too is Saudi Arabia. New Zealand I think can say as part of a trade relationship that making progress on these international agreements is critical. I don't think New Zealanders want to be building wealth on the back of industries in countries where human rights violations are the norm," Ms Turei says.
Australia has withdrawn its Ambassador to Indonesia because of the executions.
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