Journalist for Tribun Papua, Yulianus Degei, was attacked by several police officers while covering a demonstration in Wadio, Nabire district, Central Papua, on Friday, April 5, 2024. The victim said the beating occurred when he was covering a peaceful demonstration in Jepara 2 Wadio.
When the journalist arrived at the location, the demonstration was chaotic. However, the journalist was allowed to report by the crowd in Nabire.
The demonstration became increasingly chaotic as the crowd started throwing objects at each other and burning car tires in the middle of the road.
The journalist then moved closer to broadcast the demonstration live. However, one policeman asked the journalist to step back. Another policeman asked him, "What media are you from?" "Tribun Papua.com," the journalist replied.
At that time, several police officers had just arrived to extinguish the fire and calm the situation. Some police officers immediately hit the journalist on the head, resulting in a few bruises, as the journalist was wearing a helmet. The police also confiscated the journalist's cell phone, which was being used for the live broadcast. The journalist then retreated to find a safe place.