Police officers arrested five Papuan activists of the movement organisation Kunume Numbay on 15 August 2022. Mr Jimmy Boroway, Mrs Regina Wenda, Mr Brus Sangkek, Mr Roy Haluk, and Mrs Mina Tabuni organised a peaceful protest against the New York Agreement in the Dok V Atas area, Jayapura City. According to information received, police officers were already waiting at the meeting point as 14 Kunume Numbay arrived around 10:00 am.
The protesters held orations, opened banners, and played Papuan songs. At 10.25, the police officers dispersed the protest, seized all banners and arrested the five activists. They were brought to the Jayapura municipality police station (see photo, source: LBH Papua), where they were interrogated and detained. Lawyers of the Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) were able to provide legal counsel to the activists. They questioned the legal foundation of the arrest, considering that the freedom of peaceful assembly is guaranteed in the Indonesian Constitution and protesters did not become violent or were blocking the traffic.
Background
The New York Agreement was signed by the Netherlands and Indonesia on 15 August 1962 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Papuan representatives were excluded from the meeting. The United States of America, which mediated the negotiations, pressured the Dutch to agree to an Indonesian takeover of the administration in West Papua while the United Nations oversaw negotiations on its future.
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Dok V Atas area (-2.531228120313566, 140.72022154776627)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura city
total number of victims: five
period of incident: 15.08.2022
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, indigenous peoples, arbitrary detention
Sources:
Further HRM News:
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1 | Jimmy Boroway | male | unknown | indigenous, activist | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 1 | Regina Wenda | female | unknown | indigenous, activist | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 1 | Brus Sangkek | male | unknown | indigenous, activist | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 1 | Roy Haluk | male | unknown | indigenous, activist | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 1 | Mina Tabuni | female | unknown | indigenous, activist | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
