[11] He was appointed leader by the elders in his tribe, and later after the Lani people surrendered to the Indonesian military he attended Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, studying Sociology.

[13] Wenda maintains that his arrest and the charges against him were politically motivated, coming at a time when authorities were clamping down on leaders of the independence movement.

However, after a campaign led by Fair Trials International, in 2012 Interpol removed the red notice after an investigation concluded that the allegations against Mr Wenda were "politically motivated and an abuse of the system" by the Indonesian Government.

"[19] After arriving in the United Kingdom, Benny became the leading spokesperson for the Free West Papua Campaign, which was founded in 2004 by a group of pro-Papuan activists in Oxford.

The campaign's stated aims are to spread awareness of the human rights situation and independence aspirations of the people of West Papua, through lobbying governments and developing support throughout civil society.

[12] In February 2013 Wenda undertook a 'Freedom Tour' to the US, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, with the aim of raising awareness of the self-determination issue.

[22] In April 2013, Wenda was joined by Mohammed Abassi, the Lord Mayor of Oxford and local MP Andrew Smith for the opening of a new headquarters for the Free West Papua Campaign.

[24] In May 2013, Wenda spoke at the Sydney Opera House as part of the TEDx series, getting a standing ovation in front of the audience of 2,500 people.

[25] His appearance again provoked an angry response from the Indonesian authorities, with them launching an official complaint with the Australian government within hours of him taking the stage.

[26] With British MP Andrew Smith and Lords peer Richard Harries, Benny Wenda is a founding member of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua.

This cross-parliamentary group was launched at the Houses of Parliament in London in October 2008, and was attended by British parliamentarians including Lembit Öpik and Baron Avebury, as well as politicians from Papua New Guinea, Australia and Vanuatu.

[27] The group is actively developing support from politicians around the world, and its overall aim is to assert enough political pressure on the United Nations to implement a re-run of the Act of Free Choice.

Lord Mayor of Oxford Craig Simmons said the accolade was "well-deserved" and Mr Wenda was "contributing so much both locally and on the international stage".

Entitled Ninalik Ndawi (Freedom Song), it received reviews in national newspapers including The Guardian and The Observer, and music magazines fRoots, Songlines and The Wire.