Students raise Morning Star Flag inside the university campus in Jayapura – Police react with warning shots, teargas, and mass arrests

Police officers forcefully dispersed a peaceful protest by Papuan university students at the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) and arrested sixteen students on 10 November 2022. Students raised the Morning Star Flag inside the campus and made peaceful orations. The students called upon the Indonesian Government to allow a visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua and rejected a dialogue process initiated by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). Around 1.45 pm, dozens of police officers of the Jayapura Police crowd control unit (Dalmas Polresta Jayapura) entered the USTJ campus and dispersed the students using warning shots and teargas. The students reacted by throwing stones at the police officers (see videos below, source. Independent HRDs).

A coalition of Papuan human rights NGOs condemned the harsh intervention of the police, calling upon the Jayapura police chief to respect and protect the freedom of expression as stipulated in the Indonesian 1945 Constitution and international human rights treaties which Indonesia has ratified. The coalition demanded the police chief instruct police officers in Jayapura to adhere to Police Regulation No 9/ 2008 regarding implementing human rights principles in the Indonesian National Police Duties.

As of 13 November 2022, the police released only six students. Nine students remained in custody for further examination. The police will press charges against Mr Ernesto Yoseph Matuan, Mr Devio Basten Tekege and Mr Ambrosius Elopere. They are currently detained at the Papua Regional Police (Polda Papua) headquarters in Jayapura. On 3 December 2022, the Jayapura police released six other protesters, namely, Rein Klafle (23), Davidson Wenda (19), Manase Wenda (23), Andrias Helembo (19), Tehys Sembay (21) and Newius Maling (23) on probation. They are still obliged to report to the Jayapura city police headquarters. The police pressed treason charges against the student activists Mr Yoseph Ernesto Matuan, Mr Devio Tekege, dan Mr Amborsius Fransiskus Elopere

Table with students arrested at the USTJ Campus on 10 November 2022

No	Name	Age	Additional information
1	Yohanes Logo	21 years	Elecronics students at USTJ
2	Petrus Hubi	22 years	Architecture student at USTJ
3	Yosep Ernesto Matuan	21 years	Civil engineering student at USTJ, charged and tried under Articles 106 & 110 KUHP
4	Stevanus Enembe	20 years	Electro technics student at USTJ
5	Yohanes Mabel	18 years	Student of the Cenderawasih University
6	Devio Tekege	24 years	Mining student at Cenderawasih University, charged and tried under Articles 106 & 110 KUHP
7	Dani Mabel	18 years	Civil engineering student at USTJ
8	Manase Wenda	23 years	Student
9	Davidson Wenda	19 years	Student
10	Andrias Helembo	19 years	Student
11	Tehys Sembay	21 years	Student
12	Newius Maling	23 years	Student
13	Rein Klafle	23 years	Student
14	Edison Wombi	21 years	Student
15	Taolin Iqnatius	26 years	Student
16	Ambrosius Elopere	N/A	Student, charged and tried under Articles 106 & 110 KUHP

Police officers dispersing students at USTJ Campus with teargas and warning shots

Photos of the peaceful protest and the crowdcontrol operation at the USTJ University Campus

Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Jayapura University of Science and Technology (-2.605134416419962, 140.6574989650217)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura City
total number of victims: 16
period of incident: 10.11.2022
perpetrator: police
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, indigenous peoples, arbitrary detention, criminalisation
Sources:
Further HRM News: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/three-students-tried-under-treason-charges-for-launching-peaceful-assembly-inside-jayapura-university/

Number	Name, Details	Gender	Age	Group Affiliation	Violations
1	Yohannes Logo	male	21	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Petrus Hubi	male	22	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Yosep Ernesto Matuan	male	21	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, criminalisation
1	Stevanus Enembe	male	20	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Yohanes Mabel	male	18	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Devio Tekege	male	24	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, torture, criminalisation
1	Dani Mabel	unknown	18	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Manase Wenda	male	23	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Davidson Wenda	male	19	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Andrias Helembo	male	19	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Tehys Sembay	unknown	21	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Newius Maling	male	23	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Rein Klafle	male	23	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Edison Wombi	male	21	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Taolin Iqnatius	male	26	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
1	Ambrosius Elopere	male	unknown	indigenous, activist	freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, criminalisation

Update: On 8 December 2022, two intoxicated police officers reportedly tortured political detainee Mr Devio Tekege during detention at the Jayapura police headquarters.