ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-123-2013
18 September 2013
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INDONESIA: The police in Papua arbitrarily arrest protesters and disperse peaceful demonstrations commemorating the International Day of Democracy
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INDONESIA: The police in Papua arbitrarily arrest protesters and disperse peaceful demonstrations commemorating the International Day of Democracy
ISSUES: Arbitrary arrest & detention, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression
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Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the dispersal of peaceful demonstrations in Papua to commemorate the International Day of Democracy. Following the dispersal, 71 people participating in the demonstration were arrested and released after being detained for hours in several police stations.
CASE NARRATIVE:
According to a local activist, Yasons Sambom, the West Papua National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat, KNPB) was planning to conduct simultaneous protests in several parts of Papua on 16 September 2013 to commemorate the International Day of Democracy celebrated on 15 September each year. KNPB notified the Papua Regional Police of the plan a few days prior to the demonstration as required by law. In the local newspaper Cenderawasih Pos issued on 14 September 2013, the police announced that they refused to issue a permit for KNPB to hold demonstrations as requested.
Despite such announcement from the police, KNPB carried out the demonstrations as planned on 16 September 2013. As a result the demonstrations in Sorong and Jayapura were dispersed by the police. It was reported that individuals who were about to participate in the protests were also arrested. A witness who is also an activist of KNPB mentioned that by 7 a.m. on that day the officers from Sentani Sub-District Police had already arrested the individuals who were gathering in two meeting points: one in Sektor Toladan and another in Sentani-Abe. According to him, 9 activists were taken by the police from the meeting point in Sektor Toladan.
At around the same time, arrest of protesters were also taking place on the street of Genyem Sentani. More than 10 protesters were taken to Jayapura Doyo Baru District Police Station and their demonstration equipment was confiscated and kept at Jayapura District Police. Similar incident also took place by the old market in Sentani, Imbi Jayapura Kota, and Perumnas III Waena by Cenderawasih University.
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