2) Unlawful termination of workers at PT Uni Raya Timber: LBH Papua condemns arbitrary dismissals
3) Indonesian team probing deadly Papua shootings attacked
---------------------------------------
1) Police crackdown on peaceful demonstration at Cenderawasih University: Four students arrested, a journalist intimidated
On 30 September 2025, a peaceful demonstration organised by Solidaritas Peduli Uncen (SPU) at the Cenderawasih University (Uncen) campus gate in Perumnas 3, Waena, Jayapura, was forcibly dispersed by police. The demonstration was held to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1962 Rome Agreement and to demand the right to self-determination for the Papuan people. The Jayapura City Police (Polresta Jayapura Kota) limited the protest to 10:00 am. When participants sought to continue marching towards Abepura, clashes erupted. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and arrested the four students, Mr Darki Uropmabin, Mr Nopelianus Dogopia, Mr Amros Yeimo, and Mr Rio Kambuh. During the incident, plainclothes police officers intimidated Tribun Papua journalist Mr Yulianus Magai while covering the protest.
The protest began at around 06:00 am, as students gathered at several Uncen faculties, locking campus gates and delivering speeches. The police secured the demonstration with massive force, deploying 670 officers to secure the protest sites in Heram and Abepura. By 09:00 am, hundreds of demonstrators had marched to the lower campus gate, demanding that the authorities allow them to continue to the main protest point at the Abepura Roundabout. Police blocked their path, enforcing a strict dispersal order by 10:00 am. When student representatives attempted to negotiate with Heram Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Bernadus Ick, police officers began arbitrarily detaining protesters . As tensions escalated, demonstrators threw stones at the officers. The police responded with tear gas and arrested the four students (see videos below, source: independet HRDs).
In the midst of the chaos, journalist Mr Yulianus Magai was reportedly prevented from taking photos. A plainclothes officer reportedly approached him, pulled him aside, and questioned him despite presenting his press identification. He was only released after another journalist intervened. Both journalists suffered from tear gas exposure and temporarily withdrew from the scene before returning to cover the aftermath.
The Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition (Koalisi Penegakan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Papua) condemned the police’s repressive actions. In a press release (No. 009/SP-KPHHP/IX/2025), LBH Papua, PAHAM Papua, ALDP, SKP KC Sinode Tanah Papua, JPIC OFM Papua, Elsham Papua, Yadupa, YLBHI, LBH Merauke, LBH Pos Sorong, and KontraS Papua demanded the immediate release of the four detained students and accountability for police misconduct. The coalition underlined that the protest had been lawfully registered three days prior, making its violent dispersal a breach of Law No. 9/1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public and Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights.
Human rights analysis
This incident represents a broader pattern of repression of peaceful dissent and media intimidation in West Papua. The excessive use of force and arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters and journalists violate Indonesia’s international human rights obligations, particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a party. The authorities’ justification that the protest lacked local police “permission” contradicts the fundamental right to peaceful assembly, which requires only notification, not prior approval.
This incident represents a broader pattern of repression of peaceful dissent and media intimidation in West Papua. The excessive use of force and arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters and journalists violate Indonesia’s international human rights obligations, particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a party. The authorities’ justification that the protest lacked local police “permission” contradicts the fundamental right to peaceful assembly, which requires only notification, not prior approval.
Moment of escalation: A police officer suddenly pulls one of the protesters from behind while still negotiating with Heram Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Bernadus Ick
Police dispurse the peaceful protest at UNCEN Campus in Jayapura on 30 September 2025
Detailed Case Data
Location: CJ6M+873, Jl. Buper, Kp. Waena, Kec. Heram, Kota Jayapura, Papua 99225, Indonesia (-2.5893071, 140.6332343) Entrance Gate of UNCEN Campus in Waena
Region: Indonesia, Papua, Jayapura, Heram
Total number of victims: 5
Location: CJ6M+873, Jl. Buper, Kp. Waena, Kec. Heram, Kota Jayapura, Papua 99225, Indonesia (-2.5893071, 140.6332343) Entrance Gate of UNCEN Campus in Waena
Region: Indonesia, Papua, Jayapura, Heram
Total number of victims: 5
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Darki Uropmabin | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly, ill-treatment |
| 2. | 1 | Amros Yeimo, | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 3. | 1 | Nopelianus Dogopia, | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 4. | 1 | Rio Kambuh | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention, freedom of assembly |
| 5. | 1 | Yulianus Magai | male | adult | Journalist | intimidation, right to information |
Perpetrator: POLRES
Perpetrator details: Polresta Jayapura
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
2) Unlawful termination of workers at PT Uni Raya Timber: LBH Papua condemns arbitrary dismissals
At least a dozen workers of PT Uni Raya Timber (URT) in Sorong Regency were abruptly suspended from work without notice or compensation. The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Pos Sorong understands this practice as unilateral termination of employment in violation of Indonesian labour law. The workers, whose employment contracts were still valid until 20 December 2025, were ordered to stop working on 8 July 2025 under the pretext of “temporary leave”. Despite repeated demands, the company has failed to provide an official explanation or to pay wages and severance as required by law.
On 8 July 2025, PT Uni Raya Timber suspended several of its employees without issuing a formal termination letter or providing clear justification for the action. The workers, feeling abandoned and deprived of their livelihood, sought legal assistance from LBH Papua Pos Sorong. On 11 August 2025, LBH Papua sent an official letter requesting bipartite negotiations with the company. When the workers and their legal counsel visited the company’s office in the Sakamirim Village, Moi Segen District, on 18 August 2025, they were met not by management representatives but by administrative staff, electrical technicians, security guards, and Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel who lacked authority to discuss the dispute. The workers’ request for a copy of their Fixed-Term Employment Contract (PKWT) was initially denied, and only after two hours of waiting were they provided with a copy, not the original.
On 21 August 2025, LBH Papua Pos Sorong and worker representatives lodged a formal complaint with the Sorong Regency Manpower and Transmigration Office. The head of the agency, Mr Marthen Nebore, advised the workers to submit an official written report so that the dispute could proceed through the tripartite negotiation process involving the government, workers, and company management. The agency reaffirmed that workers’ rights must be protected under existing labour laws.
LBH Papua Pos Sorong has called on PT Uni Raya Timber to immediately fulfil its legal obligations by paying the full amount of compensation and damages owed to the affected workers. The organisation also urged the Manpower and Transmigration Office of Sorong Regency to ensure impartial mediation and to sanction the company should it fail to comply with labour regulations. Furthermore, LBH Papua appealed to the Provincial Government of Southwest Papua and national labour authorities to increase oversight of companies operating in the forestry and timber sectors, which have repeatedly been linked to cases of labour rights violations.
Legal and human rights analysis
LBH Papua Pos Sorong has denounced PT URT’s “temporary leave” scheme as a deliberate attempt to evade the legal consequences of early termination. The company offered workers a meagre compensation of IDR 912,000 (approximately € 50) on condition that they sign a “temporary off” agreement that would effectively nullify their right to further compensation. According to LBH Papua, this constitutes a de facto termination of employment disguised as suspension.Such conduct contravenes Article 62 of Law No. 13/2003 on Manpower and Article 15 of Government Regulation No. 35/2021, both of which require employers who prematurely end fixed-term employment contracts to pay full compensation equivalent to the worker’s remaining wages until the contract expires. LBH Papua argues that PT URT’s actions amount to a serious breach of national labour law and violate international labour standards enshrined in ILO Convention No. 158 on Termination of Employment, which Indonesia has ratified.From a human rights perspective, the arbitrary suspension of workers without due process or payment constitutes a violation of the right to fair and just working conditions under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Indonesia is a State Party. The case reflects systemic weaknesses in labour law enforcement in Indonesia, where workers often face exploitative practices and lack access to effective remedies.Detailed Case Data
Location: Moisegen, Sorong Regency, West Papua, Indonesia (-1.2323248, 131.232237) Sakamirim Village
Region: Indonesia, Southwest Papua, Sorong, Moisegen
Total number of victims: dozens
# Number of Victims Name, Details Gender Age Group Affiliation Violations 1. dozens
male unknown Labourer labour rights
Period of incident: 08/07/2025 – 30/08/2025
Perpetrator: Private Company
Perpetrator details: PT Uni Raya Timber (URT)
------------------------------
3) Indonesian team probing deadly Papua shootings attacked
By Reuters The team was sent to Papua's Intan Jaya district to investigate a number of shootings last month that killed at least four military officers and civilians, including a Christian pastor. read more Two members of the team, a researcher from an Indonesian university and a soldier, were shot on Friday and have been evacuated to the capital Jakarta to receive treatment, Indonesia's security coordinating ministry said in a statement.The Indonesian military said on its Twitter page late on Friday that the team was attacked by an armed, criminal separatist group."The team is currently evaluating all ongoing activities, and especially considering safety and security factors," while maintaining "the missPapua has been plagued by long-running separatist tensions since the former Dutch colony was incorporated into Indonesia after a U.N.-backed 1969 referendum called the Act of Free Choice, which has been widely criticised by human rights groups.Sebby Sembom, a spokesman for the separatist West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM), said in a video statement said the group rejects the fact-finding team formed by Jakarta and instead requested a team from the United Nations."The troops of the TPNPB-OPM will not negotiate. We are ready to attack the team formed by Indonesia," he said.Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Additional reporting and writing by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by William Mallard
LBH Papua Pos Sorong has denounced PT URT’s “temporary leave” scheme as a deliberate attempt to evade the legal consequences of early termination. The company offered workers a meagre compensation of IDR 912,000 (approximately € 50) on condition that they sign a “temporary off” agreement that would effectively nullify their right to further compensation.
According to LBH Papua, this constitutes a de facto termination of employment disguised as suspension.
Such conduct contravenes Article 62 of Law No. 13/2003 on Manpower and Article 15 of Government Regulation No. 35/2021, both of which require employers who prematurely end fixed-term employment contracts to pay full compensation equivalent to the worker’s remaining wages until the contract expires. LBH Papua argues that PT URT’s actions amount to a serious breach of national labour law and violate international labour standards enshrined in ILO Convention No. 158 on Termination of Employment, which Indonesia has ratified.
From a human rights perspective, the arbitrary suspension of workers without due process or payment constitutes a violation of the right to fair and just working conditions under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Indonesia is a State Party. The case reflects systemic weaknesses in labour law enforcement in Indonesia, where workers often face exploitative practices and lack access to effective remedies.
Detailed Case Data
Location: Moisegen, Sorong Regency, West Papua, Indonesia (-1.2323248, 131.232237) Sakamirim Village
Region: Indonesia, Southwest Papua, Sorong, Moisegen
Total number of victims: dozens
Location: Moisegen, Sorong Regency, West Papua, Indonesia (-1.2323248, 131.232237) Sakamirim Village
Region: Indonesia, Southwest Papua, Sorong, Moisegen
Total number of victims: dozens
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | dozens | male | unknown | Labourer | labour rights |
Perpetrator: Private Company
Perpetrator details: PT Uni Raya Timber (URT)
------------------------------
By Reuters
The team was sent to Papua's Intan Jaya district to investigate a number of shootings last month that killed
at least four military officers and civilians, including a Christian pastor. read more
Two members of the team, a researcher from an Indonesian university and a soldier, were shot on Friday and
have been evacuated to the capital Jakarta to receive treatment, Indonesia's security coordinating
ministry said in a statement.
The Indonesian military said on its Twitter page late on Friday that the team was attacked by an
armed, criminal separatist group.
"The team is currently evaluating all ongoing activities, and especially considering safety and security
factors," while maintaining "the miss
Papua has been plagued by long-running separatist tensions since the former Dutch colony was
incorporated into Indonesia after a U.N.-backed 1969 referendum called the Act of Free Choice, which has
been widely criticised by human rights groups.
Sebby Sembom, a spokesman for the separatist West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM), said in
a video statement said the group rejects the fact-finding team formed by Jakarta and instead requested a team
from the United Nations.
"The troops of the TPNPB-OPM will not negotiate. We are ready to attack the team formed by Indonesia," he said.
Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Additional reporting and writing by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by William Mallard
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.