1st December commemorations in multiple cities accompanied by arrests – At least 34 arrested

The Morning Star flag was officially raised for the first time on 1^st December 1961. Many Papuans consider and commemorate that day as their “Independence Day”. Every year security forces disperse peaceful demonstrations and orations in commemoration of the historic event.

According to media sources, peaceful protests in commemoration of the 1^st December took place in the cities Sorong, Jakarta, Ambon, Surabaya, Semarang, Denpasar, Kupang, Makassar, and Yogyakarta. Members of a nationalist group clashed with Papuan students and solidarity groups in the city of Denpasar, Bali. Similarly, protesters in Ambon reportedly faced repressive acts by police officers. Activists, West Papua diaspora and solidarity movements in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and East Timor organised public commemorations in their country.

Police officers carried out at least 34 arrests in the Papuan regencies Jayapura, Merauke and Yahukimo. Morning Star flags were reportedly raised in the regencies  Teluk Bintuni,  Nduga, Maybrat, Mamberamo Tengah, Puncak, Pegunungan Bintang, Intan Jaya, Deiyai, Dogiyai, Paniai, Kepulauan Yapen and Jayapura City. However, none of the flag-raising events was accompanied by violence or shootings between security forces and independence supporters.

Prior to 1st December, the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), a civil resistance organisation promoting the right to self-determination through a referendum, called upon people in West Papua to stay at home and commemorate the 1st December through prayer. The protests outside of West Papua were organised by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian Peoples Front for West Papua (FRIWP).

Jayapura

Police officers arrested the eight Papuan activists Melvin Yobe (29 years), Yosep Ernesto Matuan (19 years), Ambrosius Fransiskus Elopere (21 years), Maksimus Simon Petrus You (18 years), Devion Tekege (23 years), Zode Hilapok (27 years), Melvin Fernando Waine (25 years) and Lius Kitok Uropmabin (21 years) in Jayapura on 1 December 2021.

The activists had risen a Morning Star flag in front of the Jayapura sports hall, which is located next to the Papua Regional Police (Polda Papua) headquarters. They unwrapped a banner with the morning star symbol (see photo on top, source: independent HRDs) and three demands, namely Self-Determination for West Papua, Call for a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Right to West Papua and the stop of militarism in West Papua. The police arrested the students shortly after the flag was raised and detained them at the Polda Papua headquarters.

The eight students are being investigated for alleged violation of Articles 106 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) on treason and Article 110 KUHP on criminal conspiracy against the state. Lawyers of the Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) are providing legal support to the activists. The police continue the investigation because investigators believe that the flag-raising involved about 20 people, who planned and coordinated the event.

On 3 December, Amnesty International Indonesia published a press release. calling upon the Polda Papua to immediately release the activists. Amnesty International underlined that the students peacefully expressed their political views as guaranteed under international human rights law.

Merauke

On 30 November 2021, police officers arrested 17 indigenous Papuans along with two journalists in relation to a video that was published on social media (see photo on the right, screenshot). Mrs Paulina Imbumar, an indigenous spiritual leader, is among the arrestees. The video shows a group of indigenous peoples being interviewed. Mrs Imbumar, one of the arrestees, declares in front of the camera that she and her people came to Merauke to enter into dialogue with the police and the military. “I have come to raise the Morning Star flag in Merauke and in all parts of West Papua”, said Mrs Imbumar during the interview. It is currently unclear whether the police will press charges against the arrestees.

Table: Group of indigenous people arrested in Merauke on 30 November 2021:

Dekai, Yahukimo

According to local sources, Anet Balingga (29 years), Tarik Balingga (27 years), Meni Balingga (25 years), Esan Balingga (21 years), Anro Bahapol (18 years), Ery Bahapol (11 years) and Menggel Soma (12 years) were arbitrarily arrested by police members in the town of Dekai, Yahukimo Regency. The seven Papuans were arrested at 9:50 am in front of the Kingmi Papua Church at Kilometer 3. According to information received police officers claimed that the arrestees wanted to attend a flag ceremony.

Jakarta

Around 100 AMP and FRIWP supporters gathered at the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Monument in Jakarta to peacefully commemorate the 1st December. The protesters demanded the withdrawal of the military from West Papua, repealing the Papuan Special Autonomy Law, prosecution of perpetrators of human rights violation and self-determination for the Papuan people. The demonstration was closely monitored by a large number of police officers.

Ambon, Maluku

A demonstration organised by Papuan students in the city of Ambon was forcefully dispersed by police officers. The students had aforehand registered the protest but the police insisted that the demonstration should be stopped after one hour. As the students refused to disperse, plain cloth police officers reportedly tried to pull protesters away from the crowd. One protester was reportedly ill-treated on his way home. The police claim that local residents had beaten the protesters for joining the demonstration.

Denpasar, Bali

The AMP and FRIWP organised a demonstration in commemoration of 1st December in the Renon area, Denpasar.  About seventy supporters of the nationalist group ‘Garuda Archipelago Patriots’ (PGN) carried out a counter-protest and blocked the road. The situation quickly escalated after both parties started with their orations. The protest was forcefully dispersed by the police after the parties began throwing stones and bottles at each other. According to the AMP, eleven Papuan students were injured, while the PGN claimed that approximately 50 PGN supporters sustained injuries. The police did not arrest any protesters during the clash.