On 30 September 2025, a peaceful demonstration organised by Solidaritas Peduli Uncen (SPU) at the Cenderawasih University (Uncen) campus gate in Perumnas 3, Waena, Jayapura, was forcibly dispersed by police. The demonstration was held to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1962 Rome Agreement and to demand the right to self-determination for the Papuan people.
The Jayapura City Police (Polresta Jayapura Kota) limited the protest to 10:00 am. When participants sought to continue marching towards Abepura, clashes erupted. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and arrested the four students, Mr Darki Uropmabin, Mr Nopelianus Dogopia, Mr Amros Yeimo, and Mr Rio Kambuh. During the incident, plainclothes police officers intimidated Tribun Papua journalist Mr Yulianus Magai while covering the protest.
The protest began at around 06:00 am, as students gathered at several Uncen faculties, locking campus gates and delivering speeches. The police secured the demonstration with massive force, deploying 670 officers to secure the protest sites in Heram and Abepura. By 09:00 am, hundreds of demonstrators had marched to the lower campus gate, demanding that the authorities allow them to continue to the main protest point at the Abepura Roundabout. Police blocked their path, enforcing a strict dispersal order by 10:00 am. When student representatives attempted to negotiate with Heram Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Bernadus Ick, police officers began arbitrarily detaining protesters. As tensions escalated, demonstrators threw stones at the officers. The police responded with tear gas and arrested the four students (see videos below, source: independet HRDs).
In the midst of the chaos, journalist Mr Yulianus Magai was reportedly prevented from taking photos. A plainclothes officer reportedly approached him, pulled him aside, and questioned him despite presenting his press identification. He was only released after another journalist intervened. Both journalists suffered from tear gas exposure and temporarily withdrew from the scene before returning to cover the aftermath.
The Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition (Koalisi Penegakan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Papua) condemned the police's repressive actions. In a press release (No. 009/SP-KPHHP/IX/2025), LBH Papua, PAHAM Papua, ALDP, SKP KC Sinode Tanah Papua, JPIC OFM Papua, Elsham Papua, Yadupa, YLBHI, LBH Merauke, LBH Pos Sorong, and KontraS Papua demanded the immediate release of the four detained students and accountability for police misconduct. The coalition underlined that the protest had been lawfully registered three days prior, making its violent dispersal a breach of Law No. 9/1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public and Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights.
Human rights analysis
This incident represents a broader pattern of repression of peaceful dissent and media intimidation in West Papua. The excessive use of force and arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters and journalists violate Indonesia's international human rights obligations, particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a party. The authorities' justification that the protest lacked local police "permission" contradicts the fundamental right to peaceful assembly, which requires only notification, not prior approval.