2) Pacific Islands Forum 2025: Pacific leaders plan to visit West Papua in 2026
3) Detention update: Son Balingga’s arbitrary detention exceeds legal limits as authorities shift responsibility
4) Indigenous peoples and PSN victims challenge Job Creation Law at Indonesia’s Constitutional Court
1) Arbitrary arrest of five Intan Jaya IDPs accused of being affiliated with TPNPB in Nabire
On 20 August 2025, at 5:55 pm, Mr Jemi Mirip, Mr Botanus Agimbau, Mr Meinus Mirip, Mr Yupinus Weya, Mr Melianus Mirip, and Mr Seprianus Weya were arrested by Damai Cartenz Police Task Force members in the Topo Village, Uwapa District, Nabire Regency, Central Papua Province. The six internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Intan Jaya fled from Sugapa District following years of intensified military operations between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Upon their arrest, the IDPs were accused of being TPNPB members solely based on their physical appearance because some among them had dreadlocks and beards. Security forces reportedly interpreted their appearance as indicators of affiliation with the TPNPB.
According to the information received from local informants, the six individuals were civilians. Following the arrests, the TPNPB released a statement, condemning the arrests as baseless and discriminatory. The group denied that any of the arrestees had been affiliated with TPNBP. In contrast, the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force claimed that Seprianus Weya was a member of the TPNPB’s “media division” involved in documenting the 13 August 2025 shooting of two Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members at KM 128, Siriwo District, Nabire. Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, head of the Damai Cartenz Task Force, stated that Weya’s arrest was supported by evidence, including a video allegedly linking him to the TPNPB group led by Aibon Kogoya. The Task Force confirmed that five other individuals were detained and their personal items, such as phones, net bags, and jackets confiscated during the arrest.
Human rights analysis
From a human rights perspective, this case illustrates the persistent pattern of arbitrary arrests and ethnic profiling by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. The arrests of at least five of the arrested individuals contravene Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to liberty and security of a person and prohibits arbitrary detention. Furthermore, the presumption of guilt based on cultural characteristics violates the principles of non-discrimination under Article 2 of the ICCPR and Article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). The criminalisation of Papuan civilians for their appearance also reflects broader systemic racism and institutional bias within Indonesia’s security apparatus.
The arrest of a schoolteacher and displaced civilians also raises serious concerns under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which affirm that displaced persons retain all human rights and are entitled to protection against arbitrary arrest or detention. The use of armed force against unarmed IDPs represents a grave breach of these principles. It demonstrates a failure of the state to distinguish between combatants and civilians in conflict zones, perpetuating cycles of violence, distrust, and systemic injustice against indigenous Papuans.
Mr Seprianus Weya (left) and the five other IDPs (right) arrested in the Topo District on 20 August 2025
Detailed Case Data
Location: Topo, Uwapa, Nabire Regency, Papua, Indonesia (-3.4547865, 135.5818214) Topo Village, Uwapa District
Region: Indonesia, Central Papua, Nabire, Uwapa
Total number of victims: 5
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Jemi Mirip | male | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) | arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention |
| 2. | 1 | Botanus Agimbau | male | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) | arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention |
| 3. | 1 | Meinus Mirip | male | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) | arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention |
| 4. | 1 | Yupinus Weya | male | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) | arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention |
| 5. | 1 | Melianus Mirip | male | unknown | Indigenous Peoples, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) | arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Provincial Police (POLDA)
Perpetrator details: Damai Cartenz Police Task Force
Issues: indigenous peopleshttps://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/pacific-islands-forum-2025-pacific-leaders-plan-to-visit-west-papua-in-2026/
2) Pacific Islands Forum 2025: Pacific leaders plan to visit West Papua in 2026
The 54th Pacific Islands Forum, held 8-12 September 2025 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, concluded with leaders celebrating achievements on climate resilience and regional security. Similar to previous PIF communiques, Pacific leaders devoted one paragraph to West Papua in their final communiqué. The statement reaffirmed “the Forum’s ongoing recognition of Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua (Papua)” while recalling “Indonesia’s 2018 invitation for a mission led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights” and tasking “the Secretariat to work constructively with Indonesia on a proposed visit by Forum Leaders Envoys in 2026, in consultation with the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat” (see paragraph 16).
The forum’s reserved engagement with West Papua was underscored by the reported ban on raising the Morning Star flag in Honiara due to Indonesian pressure, revealing the extent of external influence on Pacific decision-making at a summit themed “Iumi Tugeda” (“We are Together”) Pacific Islands Forum’s limited action on West Papua undermines the vision of a united Blue Pacific. Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka acknowledged the tension between “Melanesian solidarity with the people of West Papua” and “respecting sovereignties of states,” noting after his 2025 visit to Indonesia that he saw a Papuan cabinet member, leading him to observe: “So they are integrated, as far as Indonesia is concerned, but perhaps the leaders in West Papua think otherwise. The reference to Indonesia’s 2018 UN High Commissioner invitation highlights the persistent gap between rhetoric and action, as UN special rapporteurs and treaty bodies have sought access to West Papua since the early 1990s, with requests in 2012, 2013, 2018, and 2019 all failing despite Indonesia’s stated willingness.
The 2025 communiqué’s treatment of West Papua represents continuity rather than progress. Pacific leaders are hesitant to take substantive action by proposing another fact-finding mission seven years after the original invitation while reaffirming Indonesian sovereignty. Critics argue this approach undermines the Pacific’s credibility as a moral voice on decolonisation, leaving West Papuans to endure what some described as a slow-motion genocide. For West Papuan communities experiencing ongoing militarisation, mass displacement, and systematic human rights violationsdocumented throughout 2025, the communiqué offers little hope that Pacific regional solidarity extends meaningfully to their situation, leaving one of Melanesia’s largest populations with only limited regional support.
3) Detention update: Son Balingga’s arbitrary detention exceeds legal limits as authorities shift responsibility
The arbitrary detention of Mr Son Balingga, a civilian wrongfully arrested in Yahukimo on 5 August 2025, has now exceeded 120 days without any evidence linking him to armed groups or criminal activity, violating Indonesian criminal procedure laws (KUHAP). He has been subjected to four detention extensions totalling 120 days as of 5 October 2025, significantly exceeding legal limits without any evidence presented against him or formal charges filed.
Efforts by Son Balingga’s relatives and the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) to secure his release have been systematically obstructed through authorities shifting responsibility between agencies. When the family came to the Yahukimo District Police headquarters on 4 October 2025, officers directed them to coordinate with the Koramil since the case originated as a military complaint.
When meeting with Koramil leadership the same day, military officials claimed they had transferred the case to police jurisdiction and directed the family back to the police station, while also suggesting coordination with the Kodim (District Military Command). The bureaucratic confusion has prevented the family from obtaining Mr Balingga’s release through any official channel despite three separate attempts to coordinate with military authorities.
Legal analysis
Under Indonesian criminal law (KUHP) and the presumption of innocence principle, individuals arrested on suspicion must be released if police cannot find sufficient evidence during legally prescribed detention periods. Mr Son Balingga’s 120-day detention without evidence violates Article 24 KUHAP, constitutional guarantees of presumed innocence, and rights to legal rehabilitation for wrongfully detained persons. His arrest occurred because he passed through an area where an unknown person had shortly before committed a robbery, with the initial detention based solely on accusations by a TNI member operating undercover as a fuel vendor.
The KNPB Yahukimo and Mr Balingga’s relatives have issued seven demands, including immediate release by Yahukimo Police, withdrawal of the military complaint recognising Mr Son Balingga as a victim, legal rehabilitation of his good name, cessation of illegal civilian arrests, and intervention by Papua’s National Human Rights Commission and humanitarian organisations. As of this update, Mr Son Balingga remains detained at Yahukimo Police Station beyond the legal deadline of 5 October 2025. His continued imprisonment without evidence or formal charges exemplifies how law enforcement in West Papua operates outside legal frameworks and beyond accountability. His case highlights urgent needs for independent oversight of detention practices, accountability mechanisms for security forces engaging in arbitrary arrest, legal aid access for detained individuals, and protection of civilians’ rights in conflict-affected regions.
1) Indigenous peoples and PSN victims challenge Job Creation Law at Indonesia’s Constitutional Court
4) Indigenous peoples and PSN victims challenge Job Creation Law at Indonesia’s Constitutional Court
Coalition Files Lawsuit Against Legal Provisions Enabling Forced Evictions and Resource Extraction in Strategic National Projects
On 19 August 2025, eight civil society organisations, one individual, and twelve victims of National Strategic Projects (PSN) filed a judicial review petition at Indonesia’s Constitutional Court challenging key provisions of the Job Creation Law (Law No. 6/ 2023) that legitimise facilitation and acceleration of PSN projects at the expense of constitutional rights and environmental protection. The petitioners include the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), and 19 other advocacy groups alongside indigenous peoples, farmers, fishermen, and academics affected by controversial development projects.
They argue that provisions scattered across forestry, spatial planning, sustainable food land protection, and coastal zone management laws grant excessive authority to the government to approve large-scale projects without adequate oversight, meaningful community participation, or protection for affected populations. The lawsuit targets specific articles including Article 3 letter d, Article 123 number 2, Article 124 number 1(2), Article 173(2) and (4), and Article 31(2), asserting these provisions enable misuse of “public interest” concepts to provide legal basis for business entities to seize residents’ land including customary territories without sufficient protection, resulting in forced evictions contrary to Articles 28D and 28H of the 1945 Constitution guaranteeing legal certainty and human rights protection.
The challenged provisions permit conversion of sustainable food lands for PSN purposes without meaningful participation or fair compensation, threatening rights to food and agricultural sustainability in violation of Article 33(3) and (4) of the Constitution regarding state control over natural resources for public prosperity. The People’s Movement Against PSN (GERAM PSN) emphasized that these norms concentrate power in executive hands while weakening legislative oversight, with the elimination of the People’s Representative Council’s role in approving forest area designation changes meaning large-scale development policies are determined entirely by the executive without checks and balances essential to democratic governance.
The first Constitutional Court hearing featured testimonies from communities directly impacted by PSN projects: indigenous Malind Anim, Makleuw, and Yei peoples from Merauke affected by the Food Estate project; Rempang Island residents threatened with eviction for the Rempang Eco City development; North Kalimantan communities impacted by the Green Industrial Zone; East Kalimantan residents displaced by the new National Capital construction; and Southeast Sulawesi communities affected by nickel mining operations. GERAM PSN stated that these testimonies demonstrate PSN impacts are “not legal abstractions, but reality of life in the form of loss of customary land and agricultural land, ecological damage that threatens living spaces, and criminalization of residents who reject projects.”
Documented violation patterns concern communities resisting PSN projects. They face criminalisation, intimidation by security forces protecting corporate interests, arbitrary detention of activists and traditional leaders, and violence against environmental and human rights defenders. The petitioners requested that the Constitutional Court declare the challenged provisions contrary to the 1945 Constitution and without binding legal force, seeking to ensure accountability of state administrators in protecting constitutional rights while restoring principles of the rule of law, human rights protection, and ecological justice in national development practices.
This Constitutional Court challenge represents a critical test of Indonesia’s commitment to constitutional governance and human rights protection in the context of aggressive infrastructure and extractive development agendas, raising fundamental questions about whether development models can be reconciled with constitutional guarantees of indigenous rights, environmental protection, and democratic participation. The Constitutional Court’s ruling will have far-reaching implications not only for specific PSN projects but for Indonesia’s entire approach to balancing development imperatives with constitutional obligations to protect citizen rights, indigenous territories, environmental sustainability, and democratic accountability.
The case aligns with international human rights standards including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which requires free, prior, and informed consent for developments affecting indigenous territories, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights protecting rights to adequate food and housing, and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which requires states to protect against corporate abuses.
YLBHI statement on the judicial review petition (top) and public protest (bottom) at Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on 19 August 2025
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