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

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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

NoNameAgeAdditional information
1Yohanes Logo21 yearsElecronics students at USTJ
2Petrus Hubi22 yearsArchitecture student at USTJ
3Yosep Ernesto Matuan21 yearsCivil engineering student at USTJ, charged and tried under Articles 106 & 110 KUHP
4Stevanus Enembe20 yearsElectro technics student at USTJ
5Yohanes Mabel18 yearsStudent of the Cenderawasih University
6Devio Tekege24 yearsMining student at Cenderawasih University, charged and tried under Articles 106 & 110 KUHP
7Dani Mabel18 yearsCivil engineering student at USTJ
8Manase Wenda23 yearsStudent
9Davidson Wenda19 yearsStudent
10Andrias Helembo19 yearsStudent
11Tehys Sembay21 yearsStudent
12Newius Maling23 yearsStudent
13Rein Klafle23 yearsStudent
14Edison Wombi21 yearsStudent
15Taolin Iqnatius26 yearsStudent
16 Ambrosius ElopereN/AStudent, 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
Location: Jayapura University of Science and Technology
Region: Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura
Region: Indonesia, Papua, Jayapura
Total number of victims: 16

# Number of Victims Name, Details Gender Age Group Affiliation Violations
1. 1 Yohannes Logo
 male 21 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
2. 1 Petrus Hubi
 male 22 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
3. 1 Yosep Ernesto Matuan
 male 21 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, criminalisation
4. 1 Stevanus Enembe
 male 20 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
5. 1 Yohanes Mabel
 male 18 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
6. 1 Devio Tekege
 male 24 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, torture, criminalisation
7. 1 Dani Mabel
 unknown 18 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
8. 1 Manase Wenda
 male 23 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
9. 1 Davidson Wenda
 male 19 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
10. 1 Andrias Helembo
 male 19 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
11. 1 Tehys Sembay
 unknown 21 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
12. 1 Newius Maling
 male 23 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
13. 1 Rein Klafle
 male 23 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
14. 1 Edison Wombi
 male 21 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
15. 1 Taolin Iqnatius
 male 26 Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention
16. 1 Ambrosius Elopere
 male unknown Indigenous Peoples, Activist freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention, criminalisation
Period of incident: 10/11/2022 – 10/11/2022
Perpetrator: Indonesian Police

Perpetrator details: unknown

Issues: security force violence, indigenous peoples, human rights defenders