SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: September 30, 2025

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Imprisonment

Institution(s):Cenderawasih University

Region & Country:Southeastern Asia | Indonesia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On September 30, 2025, Jayapura police forcibly detained student protestors at Cenderawasih University (Uncen) during a peaceful demonstration.

Student solidarity group Solidaritas Peduli Uncen (SPU) organized the demonstration to demand the right to self-determination for the Papuan people and commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the 1962 Rome Agreement, which transferred the administration of the West Papua territory to Indonesia. The protest began at 6:00 am on the Uncen campus, where students locked gates and delivered speeches. Police monitored the demonstration with a presence of over six hundred officers.

By 9:00 am, demonstrators had marched to the campus gate. Police blocked their path, ordering the gathering to disperse by 10:00 am. When protestors tried to negotiate to continue to the main protest point, police officers began arbitrarily detaining participants. As tensions escalated, demonstrators threw stones at officers, who responded by firing tear gas and arresting four students.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of force during an on-campus protest and the detention of students for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians and must respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and also respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Such actions, beyond harming the immediate victims, have a chilling effect on academic freedom.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/police-crackdown-on-peaceful-demonstration-at-cenderawasih-university-four-students-arrested-a-journalist-intimidated/
https://monitor.civicus.org/explore/indonesia-brutal-crackdown-on-protests-arrests-of-activists-and-suppression-of-dissent-in-papua-as-president-marks-one-year-in-power/