19 Dec 2014

Jakarta called on to help Papuan victims' families

3:02 pm on 19 December 2014

A human rights group says the relatives of those who were killed or injured during the recent shooting in Paniai in Indonesia's Papua, need both justice and counselling.

At least five people died and 21 others were injured after a group of residents blockaded a road, disrupting traffic in Paniai last Monday.

The Jakarta Post says the Papuan Women's Solidarity for Human Rights Defenders group says each time violence occurs in Papua the government fails to provide counselling for the relatives of victims.

A spokesperson, Sandra Mambrasar, says women losing their children and husbands in acts of violence should receive attention from a psychiatric team.

She says the women affected continued to mourn for the victims when the bodies were laid out at Karel Gobay Field prior to their funeral at the end of last week.

Ms Mambrasar says the women had even dug the graves themselves.