Indonesia: 23 arrested as demonstration is disbanded
Event- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Jun 3, 2022
- Event Description
As a result of the arrests, the simultaneous demonstration of the Papuan people against the division, revoking of Otsus volume II and holding a referendum by all Papuan people in Papua and Indonesia who are members of the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) on Friday (3/5/2022), in Nabire district, Papua cancel done. The action will be carried out by holding a free pulpit. It was reported that the action was canceled due to the arbitrary arrests of the joint TNI-Polri apparatus against the mass of action before the action took place at the Gizi park, Oyehe, Nabire. A total of 23 people were forcibly arrested. 22 people were arrested first and one from behind. The 22 people who were arrested were transported by police trucks and taken to the Nabire Police Headquarters for interrogation. Over 10 hours they were interrogated and released. “Initially, 11 of us came to the Gizi park to do a free pulpit action. We brought some pamphlets and a megaphone. At that time there was no security apparatus. But there are already two billboards that say thank you for DOB. One of them is from the Key harmony in Nabire," said a protester who was arrested to Suarapapua.com from Nabire, Saturday (4/6/2022), who declined to give his name. He said starting at 06.00, continued at 06:37. The police with full weapons along with about tens of intel arrived and went straight to them asking to disperse with the excuse that at the nutrition park there would be a joint rally in the morning. “We were lazy to know and stayed. At 06:40, another crowd was arriving. The police chief also arrived with some of his men, then again forced us to disperse with shouts and threatening words, while ordering his men within 10 minutes of the mass action to be disbanded.” At 07:12, the police managed to force them out of the Gizi garden (just behind the Nun Biru Gate monument). Not accepting the brutal actions of the officers, one of the masses took photos of the officers. “He was immediately chased by intelligence and police to the front of the road. After we were in front of the Gizi park main road, the police then pushed us into the Oyehe market and continued to push until we reached the end of the Oyehe terminal.” "We want to disband. But the Police Chief and his men forced us not to go home and had to get into the police truck. We are surrounded. The police chief also threatened us with words that he would take us to a faraway place. The police chief also asked us to take off all the masks we were wearing," he said. When they were surrounded, he said, a woman took a photo but the woman was shouted at and her cellphone was taken by the police. After the police truck arrived, he continued, at around 08:01, they were transported and taken to the Nabire Police Headquarters. At 08:14, they were interrogated. “They asked for our name, address, occupation, status, etc. by yelling at us one by one. Only our friend, Wakakorlap, Adiknas Pekei, was examined with the BAP," he explained. It was said, after the examination, at 16:20 accompanied by the Papua Talent LBH Nabire, they were removed from the Nabire Police Headquarters. Meanwhile, another mass protest from Kalibobo, which initially gathered at the Intan Jaya dormitory together with nine (9) BEM campuses in Nabire to conduct a free pulpit, was also forcibly dispersed by the authorities after the Nabire Police Station deployed hundreds of personnel with full weapons. However, before the officers came down and dispersed, they managed to hold a free pulpit on the street (reading poetry, singing and giving speeches). And also succeeded in reading out the statement of position read by the head of the general field coordinator (Korlap) for the action, Abia Pujau. Seeing the officers coming, all the masses of the action entered the dormitory. The officers broke down the gate and almost chaos ensued. No protesters were arrested. Regarding the assistance carried out by the Papua Talent LBH Nabire, Suara Papua has contacted the director of the Nabire Papua Talent LBH, Richar Danny Nawipa through his phone number twice to ask for information but was not picked up.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Intimidation and Threats
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of expression
- Offline
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- Right to liberty and security
- Right to Protest
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: -3.3591309574191217
Longitude: 135.50191542479618
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 3 June 2022, 23 Papuan minority rights defenders including members of the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) were arrested by the police and threatened for staging a rally against the new Papua autonomy status in Nabire Regency, Papua, Indonesia.