West Papua: The Geopolitical Silence Surrounding an Indigenous People (Indonesia)
ByLee Jay SEP 13, 2026
West Papua: The Geopolitical Silence Surrounding an Indigenous People (Indonesia)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Oppression in West Papua continues, decade after decade, while the international community repeatedly demonstrates the limits of its commitment to human rights when strategic interests are involved. The contradiction is increasingly difficult to ignore. Australia and Japan are deeply concerned with the war in Ukraine and European security, partly through their broader strategic alignment with the United States. Yet the continuing suffering of indigenous Papuans receives considerably less political attention. For West Papuans, this creates an uncomfortable question: why does the international commitment to human rights appear so much stronger when it coincides with wider geopolitical interests?
Human Rights Monitor has previously documented the persistence of violence in West Papua, including allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. It also highlighted concerns regarding impunity, particularly when alleged perpetrators belonged to the police or military. According to its assessment, internal disciplinary mechanisms frequently lacked the transparency and independence necessary to provide genuine accountability. Such concerns matter because the issue is not simply one of isolated abuses. Rather, they point toward a prolonged political and security crisis in which civilian communities remain caught between Indonesian security forces and the armed West Papua National Liberation Army.
The humanitarian consequences are profound. Indigenous Papuans have experienced displacement in areas including Intan Jaya, Maybrat, Nduga, Pegunungan Bintang and Yahukimo amid continuing armed conflict. UN human-rights experts have previously raised grave concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, inhuman treatment and the forced displacement of thousands of indigenous Papuans. They also expressed alarm over allegations that humanitarian assistance was obstructed and that church workers were prevented from reaching displaced communities. Such allegations deserve sustained international scrutiny rather than episodic attention.
The role of the churches is particularly important. Christianity forms a central component of indigenous Papuan identity in many communities, and allegations concerning interference with churches and church workers therefore carry significance beyond individual incidents. When humanitarian workers or religious personnel are prevented from reaching displaced civilians, the consequences extend into the moral and social fabric of communities already traumatised by conflict.
The deeper geopolitical problem is that Indonesia remains an important regional power. Its strategic position in Southeast Asia, enormous population, natural resources, maritime geography and growing economic significance make it an important partner for America, Australia, Japan, France, Britain, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and others. Consequently, governments have powerful incentives to maintain constructive relations with Jakarta. This reality does not automatically make those governments complicit in human-rights abuses, but it does raise a serious question about whether economic and strategic considerations have contributed to an international reluctance to confront Indonesia more forcefully over West Papua.
Japan provides a particularly revealing example. Tokyo has expanded economic and strategic relations with Indonesia while simultaneously presenting itself internationally as a defender of a rules-based international order and human rights. Japan’s foreign policy has placed considerable emphasis on concerns surrounding China, Russia and the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. Yet West Papua rarely occupies a comparable position in Japanese political discourse. This discrepancy deserves examination.
The same contradiction applies to Australia. Canberra regards Indonesia as an indispensable regional partner and has substantial strategic reasons for maintaining a stable relationship with Jakarta. Yet West Papua lies immediately beyond Australia’s northern neighbourhood. The continuing conflict therefore represents not a distant humanitarian issue but a regional question involving Melanesian identity, migration, security, maritime stability, indigenous rights and the credibility of Australia’s commitment to human rights in the Pacific.
The history is also highly contentious. Indonesia took control of West New Guinea in the 1960s, while the 1969 Act of Free Choice remains deeply disputed by West Papuan representatives and human-rights advocates. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently adopted Resolution 2504, taking note of the Secretary-General’s report concerning the process. The historical legitimacy of that process continues to be challenged because only a limited number of representatives participated under Indonesian supervision rather than through a universal one-person-one-vote referendum.
This history cannot simply be separated from the present. The controversy surrounding the political incorporation of West Papua remains part of the foundation upon which today’s conflict rests. Estimates of the number of Papuans killed since Indonesian control began vary substantially, with figures around 500,000 frequently cited by human-rights groups, West Papuan representatives and international reporting. The Guardian, for example, has reported this estimate while documenting allegations of decades of military and police abuses.
Nor can demographics and natural resources be ignored. Indigenous Papuans have long expressed fears concerning migration, land acquisition and the erosion of their political and cultural position. Critics of Indonesian policy describe these processes in terms of Javanization and Islamization, although these terms should be used carefully because Indonesia itself is religiously and ethnically diverse. The central political issue is whether indigenous Papuans are being progressively marginalised economically, politically and demographically within their ancestral homeland.
Natural resources add another layer to the equation. West Papua possesses extraordinary mineral, forest and energy wealth, including gold, copper, natural gas, timber and other resources. The region’s economic value inevitably creates competing interests between Jakarta, corporations, local communities and international investors. Consequently, the question of indigenous rights cannot be separated from the question of who controls land and who benefits from the resources beneath it.
This is where the international political economy becomes uncomfortable. Major powers can condemn human-rights violations in one part of the world while maintaining lucrative strategic, economic and military relationships with states accused of serious abuses elsewhere. America, France, Britain, Australia and Japan have extensive interests in Indonesia, while China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and other states likewise have important economic relationships with Jakarta.
Military cooperation illustrates the contradiction particularly clearly. In 2022, the United States approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Indonesia involving F-15ID aircraft and related equipment estimated at $13.9 billion. The announcement itself demonstrates the strategic importance Washington attaches to its relationship with Jakarta. Yet the strengthening of military relations also raises legitimate questions concerning how international partners should incorporate human-rights safeguards and accountability into security cooperation.
The international community therefore faces a credibility problem. Human rights cannot become a selective instrument applied primarily to states that are geopolitical competitors while being treated as a secondary consideration when a government is an important economic, diplomatic or strategic partner. If the rules-based international order means anything, its principles must possess some consistency.
This does not mean ignoring abuses committed by armed Papuan groups. Civilians must be protected regardless of who commits violence, and attacks against Indonesian personnel or civilians cannot be justified. Nor does criticism of Indonesian policy require hostility toward the Indonesian people. The issue is fundamentally political: the protection of indigenous communities, accountability for alleged abuses, humanitarian access, political freedoms and the right of Papuans to have their grievances heard.
For this reason, greater regional engagement is essential. Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and other Pacific actors have a particular historical and cultural connection to the wider Melanesian question. New Zealand also possesses an important regional role. Rather than leaving the issue primarily to Jakarta and distant Western capitals, Pacific governments should continue pressing for greater humanitarian access, independent monitoring and meaningful political dialogue.
Australia’s position deserves particular scrutiny. East Timor — now Timor-Leste — demonstrated that regional political realities can eventually change when international pressure, local resistance and geopolitical circumstances converge. West Papua is obviously a different historical and legal situation, and the comparison should not be treated as identical. Nevertheless, the Timor-Leste experience demonstrates that questions once considered too sensitive for international diplomacy can eventually become unavoidable.
Ultimately, West Papua is not simply a story about Indonesia. It is a test of the international system itself.
If powerful governments genuinely believe that indigenous rights, humanitarian protection, political accountability and self-determination matter, those principles cannot be confined to conflicts where they serve immediate strategic interests. The people of West Papua should not have to compete with great-power rivalries for international attention.
Papuan civilization, culture, history, identity and religious traditions deserve protection. So too do the forests, mountains and natural resources upon which generations of indigenous communities have depended.
The choice confronting the international community is therefore increasingly stark: continue treating West Papua as a peripheral issue because Indonesia is strategically important, or acknowledge that a rules-based international order must also apply when defending human rights is politically inconvenient.
Overall, the Papuan people are overwhelmingly Christian and ethnically Melanesian — distinct from the Javanese elite that dominates Indonesia’s largely Muslim state. Yet for decades the international community has looked away while Papuans are massacred, their villages militarised, their culture marginalised, and their ancestral lands handed over to corporations. This is colonialism in plain sight.
For decades, the world has heard the concerns of West Papuans. The greater question now is whether it is finally prepared to listen.
Paradise Bombed – Video documenting the hidden West Papua(Important video to watch about West Papua)
Please check Modern Tokyo News at https://moderntokyonews.com for articles going back over 12 years. Sadly, Modern Tokyo Times got hacked and lost 14 years of articles…
1) Papua human rights commission: Violence will not solve Papua’s problems
Jayapura, Jubi – Violence will not solve the problems facing Papua, Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Papua office has said following the shooting deaths of three civil servants in Jayawijaya.
The head of the Komnas HAM Papua office, Frits Ramandey, made the comments after three employees of the Jayawijaya Regency Agriculture Department were shot dead on Wednesday afternoon.
The victims were identified as Alvonsius Albinus Mehan, 35, Alprida Rapi, 49, and Willi Mbuik, 24.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), through its Ndugama-Derakma regional command led by Egianus Kogeya, has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Mr Ramandey said violence would not provide a solution to Papua’s long-running problems.
He pointed to other prolonged conflicts around the world, arguing that violence alone had not achieved political solutions.
“It is rare for countries that use prolonged and continuous violence to achieve independence. It cannot be done that way. Achieving independence requires diplomacy, proposals and recognition,” Mr Ramandey told Jubi in Jayapura on Thursday.
Mr Ramandey expressed his deep condolences over the deaths of the three civil servants.
He said the victims were innocent people carrying out their duties serving the public. However, he said they had become victims of allegations that had not been verified or substantiated.
“In the name of humanity, we reject violence because this is a human rights violation. If you accuse someone, why can’t you ask them properly, check their identification or give them a warning?” he said.
“It has not been verified whether they were involved in espionage. Those were unilateral accusations whose truth could not be tested.”
The Komnas HAM Papua office called on armed groups across Papua to stop using violence against civilians in all forms.
Mr Ramandey said violence should be replaced with dialogue and negotiations, noting that some armed group leaders had also expressed support for dialogue.
He said continued violence only reinforced Papua’s reputation as a conflict-prone region and warned that the Indonesian Government needed to take action to find a lasting solution.
“The President’s task now is to establish a special team directly accountable to him to formulate a way to resolve the violent conflict in Papua. That is what is urgently needed today,” Mr Ramandey said.
Meanwhile, Papuan human rights lawyer and advocate Yan Christian Warinussy also expressed his condolences over the deaths of the three civil servants.
He said law enforcement authorities needed to establish who was responsible, determine the motive and chronology of the attack, and ensure those responsible were held accountable.
Mr Warinussy said a pattern of violence against civilians had emerged in which victims were sometimes accused of being informants or intelligence agents for Indonesia’s military or police.
“Such reasons can never justify taking a human life. I am deeply concerned if accusations of being an informant or intelligence agent are being used as a reason to kill civilians. No one may be sentenced to death outside the legal process,” he said.
He said an accusation was not a conviction, suspicion was not evidence, and alleged links to state security forces could never justify killing someone. (*)
2) Police identify suspects in deadly Jayawijaya shooting
News Desk September 12, 2026
Jayapura, Jubi – Police investigating the shooting that killed three civil servants from the Jayawijaya Agriculture Department say they have obtained descriptions of the suspected perpetrators and launched a search for them.
The three civil servants were killed in Jayawijaya Regency, in Indonesia’s Highland Papua province, on Wednesday, 9 September 2026.
The spokesperson for the 2026 Cartenz Peace Operation, Senior Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo, said investigators had recovered several pieces of evidence from the crime scene.
“We found three cartridge casings, including two 5.56-millimetre casings, which are ammunition for long-barrelled firearms. We also found one 9-millimetre casing, which is ammunition for a short-barrelled firearm,” Mr Sutejo said in a written statement received by Jubi on Thursday night.
Police also found blood traces at the scene, which are being examined as part of the investigation.
Mr Sutejo said investigators had questioned survivors of the attack and obtained information about the physical characteristics of the suspected perpetrators.
“We have questioned the surviving witnesses at Jayawijaya Police Station and obtained descriptions of the perpetrators. Our team has already begun pursuing them,” he said.
Based on preliminary witness accounts, police believe the group responsible for the shooting consisted of about eight people.
The witnesses said the group was carrying two long-barrelled firearms. Police are still investigating whether the group also had a handgun, following the discovery of the 9-millimetre cartridge casing at the scene.
“Of course, we are pursuing them. God willing, we will find them because we already have information about the perpetrators,” Mr Sutejo said.
The Cartenz Peace Operation said it was continuing to pursue those allegedly involved in the attack, describing the group as an armed criminal group.
Mr Sutejo urged people in Jayawijaya to remain calm and not be provoked by unverified information.
Police have also deployed an additional 50 personnel from Timika, in Central Papua’s Mimika Regency, to Jayawijaya to support the investigation and search for the suspects.
Mr Sutejo called on anyone with information about the whereabouts or identities of the alleged perpetrators to contact police.
“We guarantee the confidentiality of anyone who provides information, so that we can quickly solve this case and arrest those responsible,” he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the 2026 Cartenz Peace Operation, Inspector General Faizal Ramadhani, said the joint police taskforce and Jayawijaya Police were continuing their investigation based on evidence recovered from the scene and witness statements.
“We will continue the investigation to establish the facts of this case and identify those responsible in accordance with the law,” Mr Ramadhani said. (*)
1) Coalition calls for investigation into terror attacks targeting human rights workers, journalists and Papua Komnas HAM
News Desk September 11, 2026
Jayapura, Jubi – A coalition of legal and human rights groups in Papua has called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to order the National Police chief to investigate a series of alleged terror attacks targeting human rights workers, journalists and the Papua office of Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM.
The Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition issued the call following an incident on Wednesday morning in which an unidentified person allegedly threw a suspected Molotov cocktail onto the front verandah of the Komnas HAM Papua representative office in Jayapura.
The coalition argued that the incident should be investigated under Indonesia’s anti-terrorism laws.
It said Indonesia’s 2018 anti-terrorism legislation defines terrorism as acts involving violence or threats of violence that create widespread fear and may cause mass casualties or damage to strategic facilities, public infrastructure or other targets for ideological, political or security-related motives.
Based on that definition, the coalition said the alleged Molotov cocktail attack on the Komnas HAM Papua office contained elements that could constitute terrorism, including threats of violence and actions intended to create fear.
It called on police to enforce the relevant laws and thoroughly investigate the case.
The coalition said suspected Molotov cocktail attacks had occurred repeatedly in Jayapura in recent years, but those responsible had not been identified or brought before the courts.
“This naturally raises questions about the professionalism of the Indonesian National Police within the Papua Police jurisdiction in dealing with these repeated Molotov cocktail attacks,” the Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition said in a statement on Thursday.
According to the coalition’s records, several previous suspected Molotov cocktail attacks remain unsolved.
In May 2022, a motorcycle and car parked in the garage of the Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) office in Abepura were destroyed by fire in what was suspected to have been a Molotov cocktail attack.
In January 2023, a suspected Molotov cocktail was thrown beside the home of journalist Victor Mambor in the Angkasa Pura area of Jayapura.
Another suspected Molotov cocktail attack targeted the Jubi newsroom in Waena, Jayapura, in October 2024.
The coalition said the attacks recorded between 2022 and 2026 had all targeted people working in human rights and journalism.
It said the latest incident at the Komnas HAM Papua office showed that both independent human rights workers and state institutions involved in monitoring, investigating and mediating alleged human rights violations in Papua were facing threats.
The coalition said the Indonesian Government and police had an obligation to protect the right to safety and security of human rights workers, journalists and Komnas HAM staff.
It called on President Prabowo to immediately instruct the National Police chief to lead law enforcement efforts into the alleged Molotov cocktail attacks targeting human rights workers, journalists and the Komnas HAM Papua office.
The coalition also called for the Papua Police chief to establish a professional investigative team to fully investigate the cases.
It further urged Indonesia’s Human Rights Minister to establish an oversight team to monitor law enforcement efforts, and called on the chair of Komnas HAM to coordinate with national and Papua police to ensure justice for those targeted in the alleged attacks. (*)
2) TPNPB claims responsibility for shooting that killed three civil servants in Jayawijaya
News Desk September 11, 2026
Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army’s (TPNPB) Ndugama-Derakma regional command has claimed responsibility for a shooting that killed three civil servants in Jayawijaya Regency, in Indonesia’s Highland Papua province.
The three victims were employees of the Jayawijaya Regency Agriculture Department. They were identified as Alvonsius Albinus Mehan, 35, Alprida Rapi, 49, and Willi Mbuik, 24.
TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom said the group’s national headquarters had received an official report from the commander of TPNPB’s Ndugama-Derakma regional command, Brigadier General Egianus Kogeya, claiming responsibility for the shooting.
Mr Sambom alleged the three men were Indonesian military intelligence agents working as civil servants in the Jayawijaya Agriculture Department.
According to Mr Sambom, Mr Kogeya said his forces stopped the vehicle carrying the victims on the Wamena-Tiom Trans Papua road, searched their belongings and instructed everyone inside to remain calm and stay in the vehicle.
He said the three victims then allegedly attempted to flee after becoming frightened, and were shot by TPNPB members.
“If they survived, they would report or disclose information to the Indonesian military about the presence of TPNPB forces in Muliama District, near Wamena,” Mr Sambom said in a written statement on Thursday.
Mr Sambom also issued a warning calling on people to comply with what he described as the group’s ultimatum, saying the TPNPB’s Ndugama-Derakma command was prepared to expand armed conflict to Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya Regency.
He said vehicles travelling along several major routes in Papua, including Wamena-Tiom, Wamena-Yalimo and Wamena-Jayapura, should comply with instructions issued by the group.
Mr Sambom further claimed that Papuans and non-Papuans working as village heads, civil servants or in other government positions could be considered targets because the group viewed them as part of the Indonesian Government’s presence in Papua.
The group also alleged that an employee or Indonesian migrant working at the Highland Papua Governor’s Office in Wamena was linked to Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency, an allegation that could not be independently verified.
TPNPB’s national headquarters called on people it described as being involved with the Indonesian military to leave Wamena and other areas of Papua.
The group also called on the Indonesian Government to open international negotiations with the TPNPB to address what it described as the political roots of the long-running armed conflict in Papua.
Meanwhile, the head of the Indonesian National Youth Committee’s (KNPI) Muliama District branch, Aleks Lengka, said traffic and community activities along the Wamena-Tiom road had been running normally before the incident.
He said a group of Agriculture Department employees travelling to Piramid District in a Strada vehicle was stopped by unidentified people outside a school in Muliama village at about 3pm Papua time.
“They were all ordered out. The Indigenous Papuans were released, while three migrant employees were shot dead. Afterward, the perpetrators raised the Morning Star flag and fled,” Mr Lengka said in an audio recording provided to Jubi.
Indonesia’s Cartenz Peace Taskforce said its preliminary investigation indicated the shooting was allegedly carried out by an armed group believed to be linked to the TPNPB from Nduga Regency.
The three victims were part of a group of 11 people returning after inspecting a rice field development project.
The group had travelled from Wamena to Muliama District to inspect the project and was reportedly intercepted by an armed group while returning to Wamena.
According to the Cartenz Peace Taskforce, eight people in the group, including Indigenous Papuans and a young child, were separated from the three employees described by authorities as migrants.
The three employees were then allegedly shot.
Alvonsius Albinus Mehan suffered gunshot wounds to the back of his head and his left hand and died at the scene.
Willi Mbuik was shot in the right side of his waist and later died at Wamena Regional Hospital after receiving medical treatment.
Alprida Rapi suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was declared dead at the scene.
The head of the 2026 Cartenz Peace Operation, Inspector General Faizal Ramadhani, said a joint police taskforce and Jayawijaya Police officers were immediately deployed to secure the area and investigate.
Police also searched the area around the Muliama Community Health Centre and other locations believed to be connected to the shooting.
Eight witnesses who had been travelling with the victims were taken into police protection and questioned to help investigators establish the sequence of events and identify those involved.
However, Mr Ramadhani said authorities were still gathering evidence and information to confirm the identities and involvement of the alleged perpetrators.
“We are ensuring that the investigation is carried out thoroughly to establish the chronology, identify the perpetrators and ensure they are held accountable under the law,” Mr Ramadhani said in a written statement.
He said violence against civilians could not be justified and that security forces would continue their investigation to identify and arrest those responsible.
The deputy head of the Cartenz Peace Operation, Senior Commissioner Adarma Sinaga, urged people in Jayawijaya to remain calm and not be provoked by unverified information.
“We urge everyone to remain calm and trust the security authorities to handle this case,” Mr Sinaga said.
The Cartenz Peace Taskforce and Jayawijaya Police said they would continue investigating the shooting and gathering witness statements, with the case to be handled professionally and based on available evidence. (*)
3) Indonesian police hunt suspects in Jayawijaya shooting
September 11, 2026 20:29 GMT+700
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - The Damai Cartenz Operations Task Force has identified characteristics of suspected killers of three civil servants from the Jayawijaya Agriculture Agency in Indonesia’s Papua region, an official said.
“The suspects’ characteristics have been identified, and they are now being pursued,” the task force's spokesman, Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo, said in Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, on Friday.
The shooting occurred on Wednesday, September 9, as an Agriculture Agency convoy returned after distributing food aid to Kimbim Village in Asologaima Sub-district, he said.
The armed group ambushed the convoy in Muliama Sub-district and shot three civil servants, killing all three, Sutejo said.
Investigators found three shell casings at the scene: two measuring 5.56 millimeters, used in long-barreled firearms, and one 9-millimeter casing, believed to have come from a handgun.
Witnesses said eight attackers were involved, two of whom carried long-barreled firearms, according to the investigation.
“The pursuit of the armed group responsible for the shooting is continuing, along with law enforcement efforts,” Sutejo said.
The three victims were Aprida Rapi, 49; Alfonsius Albinus Meha, 35; and Willi Mbuik, 25, all employees of the Jayawijaya Agriculture Agency.
4) Six Papuans arbitrarily detained and one civilian shot during security operation in Dekai
11 September 2026 / 5 minutes of reading
On 1 September 2026, security forces carried out an operation in the Kali Biru residential area around the former Election Commission Office (KPU), Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands Province. Local human rights defenders reported that six civilians were reportedly arrested and taken to the Yahukimo Police Station. A seventh person, Mr Meck Salak, reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to his left arm. Security force personnel reportedly shot dead four members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) during the same operation.
According to information collected by local human rights defenders, approximately five operational vehicles arrived in the residential area at around 5:00 pm. Witness accounts alleged that security personnel opened fire before arresting the six residents. On of the shots reportedly pierced Meck Salak’s left forearm (see photos and videos below, source: independent HRD). Mr Yefri Kabak, 26, Mr Daniel Kabak, 19, Mr Asa Salak, 20, Mr Meki Salak, 40, Mr Pace Kambui (30), and16-year-old P. M. were detained without showing a warrant and subsequently brought in security-force vehicles to the Yahukimo Police Station in Dekai.
The Damai Cartenz Operation Task Force and Yahukimo Police presented a substantially different account on 2 September 2026. Police stated that personnel had arrived at approximately 4:35 pm after receiving information that members of the TPNPB Kodap XVI Yahukimo, Batalyon Eden Sawi, were gathering at a house near the former KPU office on Miyaro Road. According to police, personnel came under gunfire when entering the area, fired warning shots and subsequently returned fire after armed individuals continued shooting whilst retreating towards the forest. Police reported that four alleged TPNPB members were killed and that one homemade long-barrel firearm, eleven rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition and three mobile phones were seized. TPNPB later confirmed that four of their members had been killed in combat.
Police also confirmed that six people were taken into custody. Police spokesperson Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo stated that investigators were examining their identities, activities, roles and possible links with the armed group and had not yet reached conclusions concerning their status.
Human rights and legal analysis
The detention of the six residents raises serious concerns under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects every person against arbitrary arrest and detention and requires authorities to inform arrested persons immediately of the reasons for their arrest and promptly of any charges against them. Police officers need to carry out arrests and detentions based on criminal procedure, with an individualised and lawful basis for arrest, such as an arrest warrant and/or sufficient incriminating evidence required by law.
These requirements are reinforced by Indonesia’s new Criminal Procedure Code, Law No. 20 of 2025, which has been in force since 2 January 2026. Article 94 requires an arrest to be based on at least two items of evidence. Article 95 requires investigators to show their official assignment and provide an arrest warrant stating the suspect’s identity, the reason for arrest, the alleged offence and the place of examination. An arrest warrant is not required where a person is caught in the act, but the person and associated evidence must then immediately be handed to an investigator. Article 96 limits arrest to 1 × 24 hours, whilst continued detention requires a separate lawful basis and corresponding detention order. According to the information received, the six detained individuals were neither caught committing an offence nor arrested on the basis of sufficient individualised evidence and the required documentation. Their deprivation of liberty may therefore potentially amount to an arbitrary arrest contrary to Indonesian law and Article 9 ICCPR.
Particular concern arises regarding P.M., aged 16. Under Article 30 of Law No. 11 of 2012 on the Juvenile Criminal Justice System, the arrest of a child for investigative purposes may last no longer than 24 hours, must be conducted humanely with due regard to the child’s age and needs, and the child must be accommodated in a designated child facility or appropriate social-welfare institution. Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child further requires that the arrest or detention of a child be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period, with prompt access to legal assistance and the ability to challenge the lawfulness of detention.
The firearm use reported during the operation potentially engages the right to life under Article 6 ICCPR. Indonesian authorities themselves publicly described the action as a law-enforcement operation. Under international law-enforcement standards, firearms may only be used where necessary in response to an imminent threat of death or serious injury, and intentional lethal force is permissible only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. If the police account of incoming gunfire is substantiated, the use of proportionate force against persons presenting an imminent lethal threat may have been justified.
The deaths of four persons during the operation and the shooting injury sustained by Mr Meck Salak trigger an obligation to conduct a prompt, effective, impartial and transparent investigation capable of determining the sequence of fire, the identity of personnel who discharged weapons, the weapons and ammunition used, whether each use of potentially lethal force was necessary and proportionate, and whether medical assistance was provided without delay. The investigation should preserve ballistic and forensic evidence and comply, where applicable, with the investigative standards contained in the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016).
Period of incident: 01/09/2026 – 01/09/2026 Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence Sources: INews.ID Tribun News Related Cases:
5) Police officers arrest 31 KNPB activists during leaflet distribution in Sentani
11 September 2026 / 4 minutes of reading
On 28 July 2026, police officers apprehended approximately 31 members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) near the Old Market traffic lights on Jalan Pasar Lama Yahim, Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province, while they were distributing leaflets for a nationwide protest planned for 3 August 2026. The detentions reportedly occurred at 2:07 pm, after police officers intercepted and dispersed the activists. The detainees were forcibly taken to the Sentani Police Station and held for approximately 30 to 50 minutes before being released following negotiations. Witnesses alleged that at least five were subjected to excessive pushing or punching during the police intervention. The incident raises serious concerns regarding arbitrary deprivation of liberty, unnecessary or excessive use of force, and unlawful interference with the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
According to the information received from local human rights defenders, KNPB activists areas began assembling at approximately 1:40 pm to distribute leaflets near the Old Market traffic lights. The arrival of police officers at the scene triggered a confrontation lasting for approximately five minutes. At approximately 2:07 pm, the activists were reportedly forced into police vehicles and transported to the Sentani Police Station (see video below, source: KNPB). Police officers reportedly confiscated three KNPB flags, approximately 600 protest leaflets and several mobile phones. The mobile phones were returned following negotiations, while the flags and leaflets reportedly remained in police custody.
At the police station, KNPB representatives reportedly questioned the legal basis for the dispersal and detention. According to the activists, officers stated that the Jayapura District Police Chief had permitted KNPB activities but failed to provide a specific statutory basis for the restriction. The police subsequently released the activists around 3: pm without criminal charges. Following their release, the activists reportedly returned to the Pasar Lama area and continued distributing leaflets until approximately 7:00 pm.
Human rights analysis
The available information raises substantial concerns regarding violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Distributing political leaflets and encouraging members of the public to participate in a peaceful protest are activities protected under Article 19 and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Restrictions on these rights must be prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate purpose recognised under the Covenant, and meet strict requirements of necessity and proportionality. A blanket instruction prohibiting political leafleting or KNPB activities, without an individually articulated and legally substantiated justification, is not reconcilable with these requirements.
The incident also engages Article 9 ICCPR, which protects every person against arbitrary arrest and detention. Even a brief detention constitutes a deprivation of liberty when individuals are compelled by State agents to accompany them and are not free to leave. Accordingly, the short duration of detention does not in itself remove the authorities’ obligation to demonstrate a lawful and non-arbitrary basis for the detention. If the activists were detained solely because they were peacefully distributing political material, without reasonable suspicion of a recognisable criminal offence, the detention may amount to arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
The reported pushing and striking of activists further raise concerns regarding the necessity and proportionality of police force. Law-enforcement officials policing an assembly must seek to facilitate the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights and may employ force only where it is strictly necessary and proportionate to the threat confronted. The reported deployment of officers carrying loaded rifles during a leaflet-distribution activity may also have had an intimidating or chilling effect on peaceful political participation, particularly where no serious threat of violence had been identified.
The police intervention must equally be assessed against Indonesian constitutional and statutory guarantees. Article 28E(3) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia guarantees freedom of association, assembly and expression. Law No. 9 of 1998 on Freedom of Public Expression protects peaceful demonstrations, marches, public meetings and other forms of public expression, while Articles 23(2) and 25 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights protect the right to hold, express and disseminate opinions and to express opinions publicly. Administrative or police instructions cannot lawfully extinguish rights guaranteed under superior legislation merely because the political message expressed is considered controversial.
Police officers arbitrarily apprehended 30 KNPB activists who had distributed leaflets in Sentani on 28 July 2026……………..
6) Suspected Molotov cocktail attack targets Komnas HAM office in Jayapura
11 September 2026 / 4 minutes of reading
On 9 September 2026, an unidentified person threw a glass bottle containing an unknown liquid and an apparent wick into the compound of the Papua Regional Office of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Dok V Bawah, North Jayapura District, Jayapura City, Papua Province. The perpetrators reportedly threw the object towards motorcycles parked in front of the office (see photo on top, source: Suara Papua) while staff were working inside. The bottle shattered but did not cause a sustained fire, and no staff members, visitors or other persons were reported injured. Komnas HAM described the incident as a deliberate act of intimidation against the institution. The Jayapura City Police subsequently stressed that the object had not yet been conclusively identified as a Molotov cocktail, pending forensic examination of the bottle fragments and liquid recovered at the scene.
According to information provided by Komnas HAM, the perpetrator threw the bottle into the office compound at approximately 10.10–10.15 am and immediately fled. Police officers subsequently secured the scene and recovered broken glass, liquid and a white material resembling tissue that may have served as a wick. Investigators began collecting CCTV footage from the surrounding area, while the Papua Regional Police Forensic Laboratory was tasked with analysing the contents of the bottle. By 10 September, the Jayapura City Police had questioned four witnesses to reconstruct the incident, establish a possible motive and identify the perpetrator. Komnas HAM representatives maintained that the object consisted of a bottle containing petrol fitted with a wick and had been aimed at the parked motorcycles, potentially allowing a fire to spread to vehicles and towards the office building.
The incident prompted calls for an immediate and impartial investigation. Mr Saurlin P. Siagian, Commissioner for Monitoring and Investigation at Komnas HAM, called on the Papua Regional Police to identify the perpetrator, prevent similar attacks and guarantee the safety of Komnas HAM personnel working in Jayapura. On 9 September, Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai similarly urged the police to conduct a thorough and objective investigation based on admissible evidence rather than speculation. Pigai emphasised that an attack against a human rights institution could interfere with its ability to fulfil its mandate and called on the state to provide specific protection to human rights officers and defenders working in Papua.
The attack against the Papua Regional Office of Komnas HAM, if substantiated, raises serious concerns regarding the protection of human rights institutions and human rights defenders in West Papua. Komnas HAM is an independent state institution established under Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights, with statutory responsibilities including human rights monitoring, research, education and mediation. Its ability to operate independently and without intimidation is therefore integral to the domestic human rights protection system. The Paris Principles, endorsed by the UN General Assembly, require national human rights institutions to possess the independence, institutional capacity and conditions necessary to exercise their mandate effectively. Violence or intimidation directed against their premises or personnel risks undermining both institutional independence and access to human rights protection for victims and communities.
The authorities also have a positive obligation to protect individuals engaged in legitimate human rights work. Article 12(2) of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders requires states to take the necessary measures to protect persons engaged in legitimate human rights activities against violence, threats, retaliation, pressure and other arbitrary interference. The obligation is particularly relevant where previous comparable attacks have remained unresolved and authorities are consequently aware of a potential pattern of risk. Persistent impunity for attacks against lawyers, journalists and human rights institutions can generate a chilling effect, discouraging the documentation of violations, public criticism and cooperation with national and international human rights mechanisms.
