Publications

On 4 February 2022, police officers arrested eight members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) working at a construction site in the town of Sentani, Jayapura regency. The police also seized the activists’ mobile phones and four motorcycles without showing a warrant. At the police station, the officers interrogated the detainees in relation to the alleged theft of a motorcycle. The KNPB activists denied any wrongdoing or involvement in a criminal offence. Three of the arrested activists were minors.

On 3 February 2022, police officers arrested and tortured Papuan student Mr Amzal Yohame during a peaceful protest against the government’s plan to establish four new provinces in West Papua. Officers dragged him away from the crowd and into a police car. According to Mr Yohame, police officers punched him in the face and the ribs and kicked him multiple times to the waist on the way to the police station. At the station, officers forced him to take off his clothes. An officer broke his bracelet with the Morning Star emblem. The police released him after two-and-a-half hours.

On 1 February 2022, police officers arrested and tortured Papuan student Mr Fanimo Nyamuk Karungu for raising the morning star flag at the Mataram University campus. In the late afternoon, police officers arrested Mr Karungu in the university dormitories without a warrant and seized multiple belongings, including his mobile phone, books, Morning Star flag, and motorcycle. The officers dragged Mr Karungu to a hidden corner and collectively punched and kicked him to the body while verbally abusing him with racist insults such as pig, dog and monkey. The insults continued at the NTB regional police station.