Two former students of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) have filed a lawsuit against the State after they were injured in a student unrest in 2016, The National reports.
The pair, Steven Likas and Madmax Rex, allegedly sustained injuries after police opened fire on protesting students. According to ABC News, at least 17 people were injured when police allegedly fired into protestors marching to parliament.
The lawsuit, filed with the Human Rights Court in Waigani, names Jacob Terema as the first defendant and police officer who discharged his firearm, former National Capital District (NCD) Met Sup Ben Turi as the second defendant, Police Commissioner David Manning as third defendant and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea as the fourth defendant.
In 2016 tertiary students protested the government and called for former Prime Minister, Peter O’Neil, to resign or step down and allow an investigation into allegations of payments of fraudulent legal bills to legal firm Paraka Lawyers – after O’Neil’s alleged involvement in the payment process.
The shooting of the protesting students resulted in escalated violence with the destruction of properties and a death at the University of Technology in Lae (The Guardian, 2016).