On 15 August 2024, police dispersed peaceful protests in the towns of Nabire, Wamena, and Sentani, as well as in Jayapura City with force. According to information received from local human rights groups, 222 protesters were arrested, and 41 injured as police forces dispersed the crowd with batons, teargas, and rubber ammunition. Many wounded protesters sustained head injuries, indicating that the officers targeted vital body areas.
The KNPB protest in Sentani was blocked by about 300 police officers and additional military personnel around 8:00 am. Sixteen protesters reportedly sustained injuries as a result of police violence. Approximately one hundred protesters were detained at the Jayapura District Police headquarters (Polres Jayapura) after officers dispersed the demonstration near the traffic light at the Old Market in Sentani with batons and water cannons around 10:00 am. Jayapura District Police Chief, Commissioner Frederickus Maclarimbon, denied using excessive force against the KNPB protesters.
The demonstrations were led by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), a Papuan civil resistance and movement organisation demanding the repetition of an independence referendum in West Papua through peaceful action. KNPB representatives in all cities had registered the demonstrations following national law requirements (see photos below, source: KNPB), raising questions about the legality of the police intervention in Nabire, Jayapura, and Manokwari. Notification in writing must be submitted by a representative of the group holding the peaceful assembly. The notification must be received by the local police no later than 3 x 24 hours before the commencement of the activity, as stipulated in Article 10 (1), (2), and (3) of Law No 9/1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public.
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Kompleks Pasar Lama (-2.568146588171446, 140.5049508168951)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura Regency, Sentani District
total number of victims: dozens
period of incident: 15.08.2024
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: freedom of expression, torture, freedom of peaceful assembly, indigenous peoples, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment
Sources:
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 100 | unknown | unknown | unknown | indigenous | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 16 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | ill-treatment, freedom of assembly |
