Following the PRP’s call for public protests against the formation of new provinces in West Papua, the PRP branch in Kaimana organised a peaceful demonstration on 14 July 2022. Mr Fando Nyai, the local PRP representative PRP submitted a formal registration letter for a peaceful protest march through Kaimana on 4 July 2022. In a response letter dated 12 July, the police claimed that the registration letter did not meet the formal criteria for registering a demonstration and refused to issue an acknowledgement letter for the registration.
A crowd of several hundred protesters gathered in various locations in Kaimana on 14 July 2022. Police officers blocked the roads to the local parliament. The local police chief, I Ketut Widiarta, called upon the crowd to enter police trucks which would bring them to the local parliament. However, the crowd rejected this proposal. Thereupon, Mr Nyai was able to convince the protesters to enter trucks which he organised by himself, while the other protesters followed on motorcycles.
According to information received, police officers beat two protesters with wooden batons. The police dragged them off the bike and forced them to enter one of the trucks. One of the victims, Mr Aser Bary, was beaten with a wooden baton and sustained bruises on his chest and back as a result of the excessive force applied against him.
The spokesperson of the Papua Barat Regional Police (Polda Papua Barat), Officer Adam Erwindi, denied allegations of protesters being beaten during the demonstration in Kaimana.
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Kaimana District
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Barat Province, Kaimana Regency, Kaimana District
total number of victims: 2
period of incident: 14.07.2022
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: freedom of expression, torture, freedom of peaceful assembly, indigenous peoples
Sources: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20220714184720-20-821707/massa-demo-tolak-dob-di-papua-barat-dipukul-rotan-polisi-bantah
Further HRM News: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/police-disperse-new-protests-against-formation-of-new-provinces-in-west-papua-at-least-six-protesters-injured/
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1 | Aser Bary | male | unknown | indigenous, activist | ill-treatment, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly |
| 1 | unknown | male | unknown | indigenous, activist | ill-treatment, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly |
| dozens | unknown | unknown | unknown | activist | freedom of expression, freedom of assembly |
