# Yogyakarta: 1st December commemorations with police repression

**Publisher:** [Human Rights Monitor](https://humanrightsmonitor.org)
**Document ID:** HRM-CAS-005-2025
**Document Type:** Case
**Document URL:** https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/yogyakarta-1st-december-commemorations-with-police-repression/
**Issues:** security force violence | indigenous peoples
**Publication Date:** January 13, 2025
**Tags:** Indonesia | West Papua

## Summary
On 1 December 2024, 188 students gathered at the Kamasan 1 Papuan Dormitory in Yogyakarta to participate in a peaceful demonstration in commemoration of the 1st December. The protest began at 10:40 AM, with participants giving speeches as they departed the dormitory.

## Detailed Case Narrative
On 1 December 2024, 188 students gathered at the Kamasan 1 Papuan Dormitory in Yogyakarta to participate in a peaceful demonstration in commemoration of the 1st December. The protest began at 10:40 AM, with participants giving speeches as they departed the dormitory. The protest was heavily surveilled by plainclothes officers and intelligence personnel taking photos and videos. Along the route, large police contingents blocked key intersections, while negotiations between protest leaders, legal representatives, and police unfolded intermittently to secure passage for the march.

Tensions escalated as the protesters reached the Heroes’ Cemetery on Jl. Kusumanegara, where they were surrounded by police, Brimob units, and City Tiger forces. Despite repeated negotiations, the debate escalated into clashes. Violence broke out as police and allied forces attempted to disperse the crowd forcibly, leading to physical confrontations. One protester, named Melki, was arrested amid the protest, while several others were subjected to beatings and intimidation by security forces. The protesters eventually retreated to the Kamasan dormitory at 5:45 pm, where the students were barricaded by police and City Tiger forces. Negotiations resumed at the dormitory, with legal representatives from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) mediating between the protesters and security forces. By 7:40 pm, the situation de-escalated, and the combined forces withdrew from the area.  

## Incident Period & Location
- **Start Date:** December 1, 2024
- **End Date:** December 1, 2024
- **Period Type:** Single Day
- **Reference Date:** December 1, 2024 (used for chronological ordering)
- **Location:** - Asrama mahasiswa papua (kamasan 01 yogyakarta)
- **Geographic Coordinates (WGS84):** -7.8013952311481, 110.38972474267
- **Google Maps:** https://maps.google.com/?q=-7.8013952311481,110.38972474267
- **Administrative Regions:**
  - **Region 1:** Indonesia (Country) > Yogyakarta (Special Region)

## Victims
**Total number of victims:** 1

| Count | Name | Age | Gender | Groups | Violations |
|-------|------|-----|--------|--------|------------|
| 1 person | Melki | unknown | male | Indigenous Peoples, Activist | freedom of assembly, arbitrary detention |
| dozens | unknown | unknown | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Activist | freedom of assembly, ill-treatment |

## Perpetrators
**Perpetrator Category Paths:**
- **Category 1:** Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Police

- **Perpetrator Description:** Brimob, City Tiger