Publications

On 14 June 2022, police officers dispersed a peaceful assembly in the Perumnas III residential area in Waena, Jayapura City, with teargas, wooden batons and rubber bullets. Eleven protesters were injured and 5 others arrested. The protesters had come together to commemorate the death of former KNPB leader Mako Tabuni, who died during police detention on 14 June 2012.

About sixty PRP supporters gathered at the Oyehe Gizi Park in Nabire on 3 June 2022 and made peaceful orations. Minutes later, dozens of police officers arrived at the park and told the protesters to leave, claiming that other groups would need the park for an assembly. Fully equipped police personnel pushed the protesters towards the Oyehe bus terminal. The officers reportedly intercepted people recording the operation and forced them to delete the recordings. The police arrested 23 protesters, who were detained and interrogated at the Nabire District Police Station (POLSEK).

On 3 June 2022, around 250 people went to the streets in Sorong city to voice their opposition to Jakarta’s planned administrative partitions. At 2.30 pm, the protesters gathered at the local parliament, demanding to meet the local parliament chairman. He did not come to meet the crowd, and at 3.15 pm, the situation became tense. Some protesters reacted by burning tires in the surrounding area. In return, police officers shot teargas grenades and rubber bullets from close range into the crowd. At least ten protesters sustained injuries due to excessive force during the crowd control operation.

On 3 June dozens of PRP sympathisers, Papuan students and activists gathered at the Kudamati Road near the Mangga Market in Merauke. They orated and read their arguments against the formation of new provinces loudly. The demonstration lasted for around half an hour, after which the protesters dispersed. Approximately 15 minutes later, joint security forces arrived in the area and began taking the mobile phones of bystanders to revise and delete recordings, and identify protesters. They also searched houses in the area.

On 3 June 2022, people in Timika went to the streets to voice their opposition to Jakarta’s planned administrative partitions. Police officers reportedly blocked the crowd at SP3 and arrested two protesters named Mr Jakson Wenda and Mr Anas Oktovianus H Rumaropen. Both were reportedly ill-treated during the arrest. The exact circumstances of the arrest remain unclear. A small group of protesters was allowed to share their aspirations with parliament representatives.

A peaceful demonstration against the formation of new provinces in West Papua took place on 15 March 2022 in Yakuhimo’s largest town Dekai. A heated argument between police personnel and protesters quickly escalated into unrest. The police opened fire indiscriminately at the crowd injuring at least ten protestors. Two of them died due to their injuries, and three were hospitalised at the General Hospital in Dekai. Following the crackdown, police officers reportedly arrested the person registering the protest, Mr Denias Helembo, and several other protesters.

A peaceful demonstration against the formation of new provinces in West Papua took place near the Internal Affairs Ministry in Jakarta on 11 March 2022. Police officers blocked the road to the ministry, forcefully dispersed the crowd and arrested 102 protesters. At least six among them were subjected to ill-treatment during arrest. Except for a Papuan student named Mr Alfius Wenda, all protesters were released on the same day.

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.