Students began gathering in Elelim around 7.00 am in various locations, from where the protesters began walking towards the Education Office and the Yalimo Regent’s Office. At 8:30 am, a dozen Yalimo Resort Regional Police members and the Yalimo Police Chief arrived in a black Hilux. While the police chief initially negotiated for passage through the protest, tensions escalated when police personnel in the vehicle allegedly provoked students, leading to a confrontation between officers and protesters.
During the chaos, police reportedly fired 12 live bullets, smoke grenades, and tear gas. Many demonstrators suffered from tear gas exposure. The protesters responded by throwing stones at the police personnel. Despite the escalation, the demonstration continued, with government representatives from the Regional People’s Representative Council (MRP), the Education Office, and the Health Office arriving to hear the students’ demands. By noon, student representatives delivered speeches and formally submitted their rejection of the Free Nutritional Food Program. Three students were reportedly detained and later released. The protest continued peacefully until it concluded around 2:00–3:00 pm.
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Elelim (-3.7721565925685216, 139.3841207880951)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Pegunungan Province, Yalimo Regency, Elelim town
total number of victims: dozens
period of incident: 17.02.2025
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, indigenous peoples, ill-treatment
Sources:
Further HRM News: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/president-probowos-school-lunch-program-triggers-protests-in-west-papua-police-officers-intimidate-arrest-and-ill-treat-protesters/
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| dozens | unknow | unknown | unknown | unknown | freedom of assembly |
| few | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | ill-treatment |
