Sorong, Papua Barat – 2 protesters arrested and crowd dispersed with tear gas during 1st Dec commemorations

Police officers arrested two protesters participating in peaceful commemorations of the 1st of December in Sorong, Papua Barat Province. The protesters had raised Morning Star Flags in public places. Police officers arrested the protesters and temporarily detained them at the local police station. According to the information received, the police did not press charges against them.

The police had increased its presence across Sorong since the early morning hours of 1 December 2022. Police officers arrested two protesters with the initials NY and MI in front of the Ramayana Mall, Klademak 3, where the Papuan Peoples’ Petition (PRP) had organised the peaceful assembly. They dispersed the crowd of about 100 people with teargas after one protester raised a Morning Star Flag. The Kaki Abu Legal Aid institute provided legal support to the arrestees during detention.

Detailed Case Data
Location: Ramayana Mall Sorong
Region: Indonesia, Papua Barat Province, Sorong City
Region: Indonesia, Southwest Papua, Sorong City
Total number of victims: dozens

# Number of Victims Name, Details Gender Age Group Affiliation Violations
1. 1 NY
unknown unknown Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
2. 1 MI
unknown unknown Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
3. dozens unknown
unknown unknown Indigenous Peoples, Activist ill-treatment, freedom of expression
Period of incident: 01/12/2022 – 01/12/2022
Perpetrator: Indonesian Police

Perpetrator details: unknown

Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence