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View all search resultsCalls for investigation after Papuan dies and another shot during protests
The unrest in Sorong and Manokwari was triggered by the controversial decision to transfer the court proceedings of four Sorong residents accused of treason to the Makassar District Court in South Sulawesi, citing alleged “safety concerns.”
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Papuan students stage a demonstration on Dec. 1, 2024, demanding the right to independence for West Papua in Yogyakarta. (AFP/Devi Rahman)
C
alls for a transparent investigation are growing after one person was killed and another shot during a crackdown on protests sparked by the controversial decision to transfer the treason trial of four Papuan political prisoners.
Maikel Welerubun, 22, was shot during a heated protest on Wednesday, August 27, on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman in Sorong, Southwest Papua. According to his family, Maikel, a motorbike taxi driver, was not participating in the protest but had stopped to observe the situation.
A bullet entered through his left arm and lodged in his chest, injuring nerves in his arm and damaging his intestines, spleen and lungs. He is currently being treated at Sele Be Solu Regional General Hospital and is scheduled to undergo surgery.
His family has filed a report with the Sorong Police, demanding an explanation for the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters and accountability for the officer responsible for shooting Maikel.
Read also: Central Java Police arrest more than 1,000 minors following violent protests
A day later, 55-year-old Septinus Sesa died during a similar protest in Manokwari, West Papua, some 520 kilometers from Sorong. He allegedly inhaled a lethal amount of tear gas fired by police while dispersing demonstrators.
Septinus, like Maikel, was not a protester but a local resident who lived near the protest site.
