Nabire, Jubi – The Paniai Monitoring Coalition has called for the chain of command behind the Paniai massacre to be investigated following the Supreme Court’s decision to grant the public prosecutor’s appeal against the acquittal of retired Major Isak Sattu.
Sattu was the sole defendant in the Paniai massacre case. He was tried at the Makassar Human Rights Court in South Sulawesi under case number 1/Pid.Sus-HAM/2022/PN Mks and acquitted on 8 December 2022.
However, the Attorney General’s Office appealed the acquittal to the Supreme Court of Indonesia.
kepaniteraan.mahkamahagung.go.id, the decision was dated 10 November 2026.
The operative part of Supreme Court decision No. 12000 K/Pid.Sus-HAM/2026 states that the appeal was granted, the acquittal overturned and the case decided on its merits. Sattu was found guilty of the first and second charges and sentenced to five years in prison.
The ruling also ordered compensation payments of Rp250 million for each person killed, Rp210 million for each person seriously injured, Rp115 million for each person moderately injured and Rp75 million for each person with minor injuries. The fourth and fifth charges were declared inadmissible.
The Paniai massacre refers to the shooting on 8 December 2014 that killed four people and injured 17 others.
The victims killed were Alpius Youw, who suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of his back; Alpius Gobay, who was shot in the left abdomen, with the bullet exiting through his right waist; Yulian Yeimo, who sustained a gunshot wound to the left abdomen, with the bullet exiting through his right waist; and Simon Degei, who suffered a stab wound to the right side of his chest.
In the indictment presented by prosecutors during the 2022 trial, Sattu was held responsible for the violence outside the Enarotali Military District Command (Koramil 1705-02) and around Karel Gobai Field because of his position as liaison officer (Pabung) at the Paniai Military District Command (Kodim 1705/Paniai).
He was also the highest-ranking officer responsible for coordinating the military rayon commands (Koramil) under the district command, including Koramil 1705-02/Enarotali.
However, the Paniai Monitoring Coalition, comprising KontraS, ALDP, PAHAM Papua, LBH Makassar, LeIP, YLBHI, AJAR and Amnesty International Indonesia, said the Supreme Court ruling should serve as a basis for the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Attorney General, within their respective mandates, to pursue further investigations into the criminal responsibility of all actors in the chain of command.
The coalition said the conviction of one person must not be used as a reason to halt efforts to establish the responsibility of the actors. It stressed that judicial proceedings alone would not be sufficient to resolve the Paniai case.
“Resolving this case must also involve a comprehensive effort to establish the truth, with victims at its center, to ensure substantive state accountability,” the coalition said in a statement issued on Friday night, 13 November 2026.
The coalition also said the ruling should serve as a lesson for lawmakers and highlight the urgent need to reform policies, particularly through amendments to Law No. 26 of 2000 on Human Rights Courts.
The proposed amendments should address obstacles to investigators, criminal investigations and prosecutions, strengthen the establishment of command responsibility, and guarantee protection and participation for victims.
According to the coalition, these reforms would help pave the way for other gross human rights violation cases to be brought before the courts, break the cycle of impunity, restore victims’ rights and prevent similar crimes from recurring.
The ruling was also seen as an opportunity to renew calls for the Indonesian Government to establish a Human Rights Court and a Truth Commission in Papua, as mandated by Article 45(2) of Law No. 21 of 2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua.
“Resolving the various cases of gross human rights violations in Papua must begin with the establishment of a Human Rights Court and a Truth Commission in Papua,” the coalition said.
The coalition also raised concerns about several aspects of the legal proceedings in the Paniai massacre case, saying the prosecution had been flawed from the outset.
It said prosecutors had charged only one defendant, Isak Sattu, who served as the Paniai liaison officer at Kodim 1705/Paniai and held a command position with effective control over troops.
Article 42 of the Human Rights Court Law provides for the criminal responsibility of military commanders or individuals exercising effective control, which was the basis of the charge brought by prosecutors.
However, the coalition argued that the gross human rights violations in the Paniai case could not be attributed solely to negligence of one individual in a command position.
A pro-justitia investigation conducted by Komnas HAM under Article 18 of the Human Rights Court Law found that more than one actor bore responsibility for the incident.
Komnas HAM categorized the alleged perpetrators into four groups: policy-making commanders, field commanders exercising effective control, direct perpetrators and those who allowed the violations to occur.
Those identified included the commander of Military Regional Command (Kodam) XVII/Cenderawasih, who served from 5 September 2014 to 18 August 2015; the commander of Military Resort Command (Korem) 173/Praja Vira Braja, who served from 15 May 2013 to 10 April 2015; the commander of Kodim 1705/Paniai, who served from May 2014 to 24 March 2015; the Paniai liaison officer at the time; the commander of Battalion 753/AVT; the battalion’s company commander; the commander of its special forces team; the military police commander; the commander and personnel of Koramil 1705-02/Enarotali; and members of Battalion 753/AVT who were present during the incident.
The coalition also pointed out that Articles 37 and 40 of the Human Rights Court Law, cited in the indictment, clearly establish criminal responsibility for “any person who commits” the offence.
Komnas HAM’s pro-justitia investigation also identified another alleged criminal act in the Paniai massacre case: obstruction of justice. The coalition said this may have been an inseparable part of the crimes against humanity, yet prosecutors had not included it in the indictment.
Furthermore, the coalition argued that the identification of perpetrators in the indictment should have taken the policy dimension into account, given that the systematic nature of the alleged crimes is a constituent element of crimes against humanity.
Komnas HAM had also recommended an investigation into alleged procedural violations and/or criminal offences involving several police personnel.
Those personnel included the Papua Police chief, who served from 16 July 2014 to 31 July 2015; the deputy Papua Police chief, who served from 19 October 2011 to 19 December 2014; the Paniai Police chief, deputy chief and officers serving at the time; the commander of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) platoon assigned to Papua Police headquarters; the commander of the Paniai Police public order platoon; and members of the East Paniai Police Sector.
The coalition further criticized the limited participation of local communities and victims throughout the legal proceedings. It warned that the lack of victim participation risked distancing the judicial process from the actual experiences and losses suffered by those affected.
Victim participation, it said, was essential to establishing the truth, pursuing justice and ensuring that victims’ needs were considered.
“Based on this precedent, the state must ensure that the rights of the 2014 Paniai massacre victims to compensation, as stipulated in the ruling, are fulfilled adequately and in a manner that respects their dignity,” the coalition said.
It added that fulfilling victims’ rights must go beyond financial compensation and include substantive recovery measures addressing their physical, psychosocial and economic losses.
The Paniai Monitoring Coalition made the following demands:
1. The Attorney General must follow up on Komnas HAM’s investigation into the Paniai massacre by expanding the criminal investigation into the involvement and criminal responsibility of other actors identified in the findings, including allegations of obstruction of justice.
2. The Indonesian Government must ensure a comprehensive, victim-centered truth-seeking process concerning the Paniai massacre and other gross human rights violations and human rights abuses in Papua, including the 2000 Abepura incident, the 2001 Wasior incident and the 2003 Wamena incident.
3. The Government must fulfil the Paniai massacre victims’ rights to substantive recovery by addressing their actual needs rather than relying on merely symbolic or administrative measures.
4. The Government, Indonesia National Police and Indonesian Military must review security-oriented policies that continue to be maintained in Papua.
5. The Government must immediately establish a Human Rights Court and a Truth Commission in Papua, in accordance with Article 45(2) of Law No. 21 of 2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua.
6. The Attorney General must investigate the gross human rights violations in the 2001 Wasior and 2003 Wamena incidents, in accordance with Article 21 of Law No. 26 of 2000 on Human Rights Courts.
7. Komnas HAM must investigate allegations of gross human rights violations involving violence against civilians by state security forces as a result of the security-oriented policy in Papua, in accordance with Article 89(3) of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. (*)
Sentani, Jubi – The Jayapura Regency Government in Papua Province plans to relocate 575 traders from the Sentani Old Market area in stages, after traders agreed to move to a new location under the local government’s policy.
Sentani District Head Jack Judson Puraro said the relocation would be carried out gradually, with the process expected to begin in 2027.
“The Old Market is a priority for the regent and deputy regent. I want to make that clear. It was one of their campaign promises. The district head’s role is simply to implement it,” Puraro told Jubi in Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua, on Friday, 13 November 2026.
He said 575 traders had formally agreed to take part in the relocation process, as recorded in an official statement of agreement. The plan has also received support from Indigenous communities, including residents of Yahim and Yobeh villages in the Old Market area.
Puraro said the local government was also considering the presence of Papuan women, known as mama-mama Papua, who have long sold vegetables, fish and other garden produce in the area.
They will be included in the market redevelopment plan, with designated selling spaces to be provided within the market, including available kiosks.
“The indigenous communities and landowners in the Old Market area have agreed and are ready to help,” he said.
Puraro said the Sentani District Government was still waiting for further policy directions from the Jayapura regent and deputy regent on how the redevelopment would be carried out.
Before the relocation begins, the district government plans to hold a thanksgiving prayer ceremony to mark the completion of road construction in the Sentani Old Market area.
The event is expected to provide an opportunity for the Jayapura regent to explain the local government’s policy directly to traders and Indigenous communities.
Puraro said the regent and deputy regent had several major proposals for redeveloping the Old Market area, but those plans would be announced directly by the regional leaders.
“Our slogan is collaboration, innovation and bold Sentani. We continue to move forward with all the resources available to us. Whatever challenges or limitations we face will not stop us from bringing change to Sentani,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yasinta Mehue, a Papuan woman from Sentani who sells tilapia and sago at the Old Market, said conditions had become cleaner since the road in the area was asphalted.
She said dust from passing vehicles had previously disrupted her business because her stall was located beside the road. However, conditions had begun to improve following the completion of the roadworks.
Mehue said she was willing to follow the government’s relocation policy if the move went ahead. However, she hoped the local government would first prioritize suitable spaces for Papuan women to continue their business.
She said having an adequate place to trade was essential because selling goods was one of the main ways they earned a living and supported families.
Mehue hoped the relocation would not disadvantage small-scale traders, particularly Papuan women who depend on selling fish, sago, vegetables and other garden produce to support their households.
She also urged the government to ensure the new market provided a comfortable and safe environment, along with adequate facilities for traders.
“The important thing is for the government to provide a proper place for Papuan women to sell their goods. We hope this redevelopment will not disadvantage traders, but instead make things more comfortable and protect us, including by ensuring safety and providing proper facilities,” Mehue said. (*)
Hollywood actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio has praised what he described as Indonesia’s historic move to protect tropical forests, particularly in South Papua.
In a social media post, DiCaprio highlighted an announcement by Indonesia’s Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy regarding plans to use degraded land as an alternative to clearing forest areas for agricultural and plantation commodities, including rice, sugarcane and oil palm.
DiCaprio said the shift in approach could save nearly two million hectares of forest that had previously been threatened by agricultural development. He described the move as significant not only for Indonesia but also for global efforts to protect biodiversity and address climate change.
“Historic news from the Republic of Indonesia in protecting its vital forests for our national security and the health of our global community,” DiCaprio wrote in his post.
In his statement, DiCaprio specifically referred to the food development project in Merauke, South Papua. He described the project as a planned forest-clearing operation that could become one of the largest of its kind in the world.
However, according to DiCaprio, Indonesia’s latest policy direction signals an important shift away from potential forest clearance toward the use of degraded land and ecosystem restoration.
He said the change could also pave the way for Indonesia to carry out one of the world’s largest environmental restoration programs.
For DiCaprio, Indonesia’s decision also demonstrates that food security, nature protection and climate action do not have to be conflicting objectives. Instead, they can advance together through development policies that take environmental sustainability into account.
DiCaprio also linked the importance of forest protection to fires that have affected Kalimantan and several other regions. He said such incidents demonstrate why natural ecosystems must be an integral part of every country’s national security strategy.
His praise has also brought Indonesia into the international spotlight as a country with a strategic role in safeguarding global biodiversity. Given its rich tropical forests and ecosystems, Indonesia’s forest management policies have significant implications for the future of the global environment.
At the end of his post, DiCaprio congratulated and thanked the Indonesian government and people for what he described as an extraordinary step toward protecting the planet.
The statement represents international support for Indonesia’s forest protection policy direction. However, the implementation of commitments to use degraded land, protect natural forests and restore ecosystems will be crucial to ensuring that the anticipated environmental benefits are realized
***
