Police in Papua New Guinea have shot dead at least four protesting university students in the capital Port Moresby amid mounting anger over corruption allegations against the prime minister.
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Witnesses told CNN that students had gathered on the University of Port Moresby campus, and were intending to go to Parliament to protest when police blocked them from leaving.
The protesters were calling for the removal of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, who is accused of corruption and mismanagement.
“Had commodity prices remained high allegations of corruption and fiscal management, not to mention the major foreign exchange shortages now facing the country, would have been far more muted as the government continued to ramp up expenditure”, Pryke wrote in the Guardian.
“Police did not like that idea and started assaulting the students, punching them, hitting them with the gun butts, before firing shots at them”, Anjo said.
“We call on all sides for calm to de-escalate the tensions and certainly call on all sides to respect the peaceful and lawful right to protest”, the Australian Associated Press quoted her telling reporters in Brisbane.
“This is going to get worse before it gets better”, said Greg Anderson, executive director of the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum in Port Moresby.
Papua New Guinea, formerly administered by its near-neighbour Australia, struggles with endemic violence and poverty.
Instead, Mr O’Neill is investigating who is spearheading the protests against him.
Transparency International ranks the country as one of the most corrupt.
Despite previous calls for his resignation by students and a 2014 warrant for his arrest issued by Transparency International, O’Neill says he won’t step down.
Video on social media appeared to show students fleeing amid clouds of tear gas and the sound of gunfire.
Police Commissioner Gari Baki said in a statement that 23 people were hurt.
“The police shooting of protesting students in Port Moresby is shocking, and a truly bad incident”, HRW’s Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said. He said an investigation would determine if they were shot.
A handful of police officers were also injured, he added.
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PNG Higher Education Minister Malakai Tabar welcomed the court order blocking students from resuming their rolling protests, blaming the violence on “thuggery” and opportunists in the political opposition.
