On 28 November 2025, at approximately 2:40 pm, Nabire Police reportedly blocked a student convoy returning from a graduation celebration linked to the STAK Nabire campus. Officers reportedly used tear gas and firearms to disperse the crowd.
Following the dispersal, police arrested and detained nine people, including two female graduates. Mrs Merion Gobay (graduate) and another woman whose identity is not yet confirmed were released at around 9:20 pm after questioning, while seven others reportedly remained in custody at the Nabire Police Station.
According to the information received, students celebrated their graduation by conducting a parade through Nabire while waving the Morning Star flag earlier that afternoon (see video below, source: independent HRD). The group then continued in a convoy on motorcycles circling the city. As the convoy reached the Auri Nabire area, police reportedly blocked the road from the front and rear. Witnesses reported there was no negotiation before police dispersed the crowd using tear gas and gunfire, prompting people to flee. In the aftermath, police reportedly pursued and arrested participants and others in nearby vehicles, transporting detainees to the police station. Family members who attempted to visit detainees were reportedly turned away until the following day.
Human rights analysis
If verified, the reported firing of tear gas and live ammunition against the peaceful crowd raises serious concerns regarding unlawful or excessive use of force and the principle of necessity and proportionality in law enforcement operations, formulated in the UN Guiding Principles on the Use of Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
The incident also appears connected to the expression of political opinion (display of the Morning Star flag) and therefore implicates the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as enshrined under Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Detaining individuals for participation in, or association with, a peaceful parade would likely constitute arbitrary arrest and detention as defined under Article 9 of the ICCPR, particularly if detainees are not promptly informed of the legal basis for arrest, given access to legal counsel, or brought promptly before a judicial authority.
Detailed Case Data (see original document)