Benny Wenda is a West Papuan tribal leader and an advocate for the human rights and freedoms of West Papua’s people. A leading figure in the region’s independence movement, he served as a special representative the British Parliament and the United Nations. He founded the Free West Papua Campaign, the International Lawyers for West Papua and International Parliamentarians for West Papua. In 2002, he was arrested and accused of inciting violence and arson, his home was ransacked and searched without a warrant, and authorities refused to inform him of the charges brought against him. He was tortured by police and held in solitary confinement for several months. He was granted political asylum with his family in the United Kingdom.
