Hengky Hilapok is a student activist studying at Universitas Sains dan Teknologi Jayapura (USTJ) in Jayapura. He assisted in the organisation of and participated in protests on 19 and 29 August 2019, including by making and distributing anti-racism flyers, and arranging a car and sound-system. Certain elements of the protest on 29 August 2019 turned violent. While Mr Hilapok was participating in the protest, he denies any involvement with any such violence.
He was arrested on 11 September 2019 by Papua Regional Police without an arrest warrant.
On 4 October 2019, Hengki Hilapok and six other prisoners were transferred from Papua Regional Police Detention Center, Jayapura, Papua Province to East Kalimantan Province for “security reasons”. This transfer was in breach of Indonesian criminal procedure law; it was conducted, inter alia, without informing their lawyers and families, and without the requisite approval from the Supreme Court. Further to these breaches, the transfer has resulted in a significant increase in legal aid costs (due to the airfares needed to attend each trial), and has cut the prisoners off from their families and culture.
He was detained in Balikpapan Prison Class IIB, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province until 12 August 2020.
