On the morning of 8 September 2025, around 30 police officers from the Jayapura District Police, using three police cars and six patrol motorcycles, dispersed members of the National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) Sentani Region and Yahim residents while they were carrying out a community service activity to clean the Yahim Sentani highway, Sentani Town, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province. No arrests or physical violence were reported, but the action disrupted the peaceful activity.
At around 09:00 am, KNPB activists and Yahim community members began a voluntary road cleaning activity. The initiative aimed to clear trash and debris from the clogged drainage ditches along the Yahim Sentani road, a problem the local community said had been neglected by the local government. The joint activity was an initiative to promote environmental cleanliness and community cooperation.
Shortly after the cleanup began, approximately 30 officers from the Jayapura District Police arrived at the scene. Without prior warning or presenting an official letter of prohibition, they ordered the volunteers to stop their activity. During brief negotiations, the police reportedly insisted that the activity could not continue without giving any legal justification. Despite the peaceful nature of the event, the police forcefully dispersed the crowd at approximately 09:47 am.
Human rights analysis
The dispersal of a peaceful and voluntary community service activity constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a State Party. The police action also reflects an ongoing pattern of discrimination and undue restriction against civic activities linked to the KNPB, even when such actions are non-political and serve public interests.
By interrupting an environmentally focused community effort, the authorities failed to uphold their positive obligation to facilitate, rather than obstruct, peaceful civic participation. Such conduct contributes to the climate of fear and stigmatisation faced by Papuan civil society actors, discouraging community-driven initiatives. The case exemplifies the continued harassment and obstruction faced by Papuan civil society organisations in exercising basic rights of peaceful assembly and participation in public life.
Police officers disperse the public cleaning activity in Sentani on 8 September 2025
Detailed Case Data
Location: Yahim, Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Indonesia (-2.5874982, 140.5057971) Yahim Sentani Road, Sentani
Region: Indonesia, Papua, Jayapura Regency, Sentani
Total number of victims: dozens
#
Number of Victims
Name, Details
Gender
Age
Group Affiliation
Violations
1.
dozens
mixed
unknown
Activist
freedom of assembly
Perpetrator: , POLRES
Perpetrator details: Polres Jayapura
Issues: indigenous peoples