Fully armed police members came to the launching of “Papuans prosecuted for demanding dignity” (see photo, source: Jubi), a book written by former church worker and human rights defender Theo van den Broek. The book launch was organised in cooperation with the Papuan Council of Churches (Dewan Gereja Papua) at the Centre for Empowerment and Development of Women (P3W) in Padang Bulan, Jayapura, on 11 June 2021.
The event was temporarily interrupted but later continued after the police had left the P3W premises. Several plain cloth police officers continued to monitor the launching as participants. The participants understood the police presence as an act of intimidation. The officers explained they were conducting a routine patrol and wanted to check as they did not receive any aforehand information about the event. One of the participants, Papuan human rights advocate Gustaf Kawer, emphasised that scientific activities and religious activities do not require a notification to the police.
