2) Military members accused of arbitrary detention and beating of indigenous Papuan in Timika
3) Indigenous Papuan shot dead and three wounded amid security force gunfire at Moanemani Market
1) Police detain students and use excessive force against protesters in Jayapura
On 15 October 2025, police personnel disrupted a student-led, anti-militarisation protest at the Abepura Roundabout in Jayapura City, Papua Province. At least five protesters were arbitrarily detained for over 24 hours before being released without charges, after authorities reportedly found no legal violations. Mr Ebenius Tabuni, 24, an eighth-semester Cenderawasih University student, suffered gunshot wounds during the police crackdown and was admitted to the Abepura Hospital. The extracted projectile was allegedly not handed over to the family and is now unaccounted for, raising grave concerns of evidence tampering.
On the morning of 15 October 2025, at approximately 8:00 am, students and youth from several campuses in Jayapura gathered peacefully at multiple locations, including Cenderawasih University (Uncen) Waena and Uncen Abepura, to protest against militarisation and land grabbing in West Papua. The protest, coordinated by the Alliance of Students and Youth Concerned with Indigenous Papuan Land (AMPPTAP), aimed to deliver their demands to the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP).
As the demonstrators attempted to march towards the MRP office, at around 10:00 am, joint security forces blocked access routes at Abe Roundabout and ordered the protesters to disperse. Tensions quickly escalated when the students refused to retreat. Police officers began firing tear gas into the crowd, while some protesters responded by throwing stones. In the ensuing chaos, tyres were set alight, traffic was halted, and commercial activities in the surrounding area came to a standstill.
Amid the unrest, four students and one bystander were arbitrarily detained around midday in the Abepura area. They were initially taken to Abepura Police Station, before being transferred later in the afternoon to the Jayapura City Police Headquarters at approximately 5:00 pm. Upon arrival, the detainees were subjected to questioning in the Criminal Investigation Unit from 6:00 pm until after 10:00 pm, after which they remained in detention overnight pending a decision on whether charges would be filed.
During the crowd control operation, Mr Ebenius Tabuni was shot and sustained severe injuries. A bullet entered through his right chest, passed through his abdomen, and lodged in his right elbow. He was rushed to Abepura Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the projectile. However, following the procedure, the projectile was reportedly lost or withheld. The victim’s family did not receive it as required under medical and legal standards for evidentiary preservation.
The next day, on 16 October 2025 at 5:15 pm, all five detainees were released without charge after more than 24 hours in custody. The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua) confirmed that the police found no evidence of any criminal conduct by the detainees. Meanwhile, Mr Tabuni remained hospitalised in stable condition following surgery, though concerns persisted over the missing ballistic evidence and the implications of potential evidence destruction.
Human rights and legal analysis
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly & Expression: Peaceful assemblies are protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Articles 21 and 19, binding on Indonesia, and the Indonesian Constitution. Any restrictions must meet strict legality, necessity, and proportionality tests. Blanket blockades, dispersal with tear gas, and firearm use against largely peaceful demonstrators indicate disproportionate crowd control inconsistent with the UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 37 on assemblies.
Use of Force & Firearms: The apparent deployment of live ammunition resulting in serious injury to a student contravenes the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms (necessity, proportionality, and precaution). Firearms must not be used except to address an imminent threat of death or serious injury; no such threat is evidenced in the supplied record.
Arbitrary Arrest/Detention: Holding five individuals for over 24 hours, then releasing without charge, suggests arbitrariness under ICCPR Article 9 and Indonesian criminal procedure safeguards.
Medical-Legal Chain of Custody & the Right to Truth: The missing projectile extracted from Mr Tabuni engages duties under the Minnesota Protocol (2016) on the investigation of potentially unlawful deaths/serious injuries and basic chain-of-custody standards. Any failure by hospital or security personnel to preserve and promptly hand over ballistic evidence may constitute obstruction of justice and violate victims’ rights to truth, justice, and effective remedy.
Police officers crack down on protesters in Abepura on 15 October 2025
Mr Ebenius Tabuni receiving medical treatment at the Abepura Hospital in Jayapura
Victim table
| Name | Age | Affiliation | Incident & Injuries |
| Ebenius Tabuni | 24 | Student (Uncen, semester VIII) | Gunshot: right chest → abdomen; projectile lodged in right elbow (surgically removed) |
| Simon Pekei | n/a | Student/participant | Arbitrary arrest during protest dispersal |
| Jefri Tibul | 21 | Student (Uncen, FIP Education Mgmt, 2024) | Arbitrary arrest during protest dispersal |
| Yoris Alwolmabin | n/a | Student/participant | Arbitrary arrest during protest dispersal |
| Rupi Wonda | n/a | Student/participant | Arbitrary arrest during protest dispersal |
| Reben Kum | n/a | Bystander | Arbitrary arrest during protest dispersal |
Perpetrator: Indonesian Police
Perpetrator details: Jayapura City Police
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence2) Military members accused of arbitrary detention and beating of indigenous Papuan in Timika
On 3 October 2025, Indonesian military personnel reportedly detained Mr Agustinus Tipagau, 22, in Timika City, at around 11:00 am (see photo on top, source: independent HRD). According to the information received, Mr Tipagau originates from Yoparu Village in Intan Jaya Regency and had travelled with family members to Timika to attend a mourning ceremony following the death of a relative.
According to witnesses, the arrest occurred without a warrant or clear legal grounds. Military personnel approached Mr Tipagau while he was attending the event and accused him of being affiliated with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) based solely on his physical appearance, specifically his dreadlocks and a necklace bearing the Morning Star motif, a culturally important symbol among many Papuans that is also used by the independence movement. The arrest was allegedly accompanied by acts of physical violence before the victim was taken into custody.
Human rights organisations and the victim’s family have demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Agustinus Tipagau and urged authorities to hold military personnel involved in the assault and unlawful detention accountable.
Human rights analysis
The incident forms part of a wider pattern of racial profiling and criminalisation of Indigenous Papuans, where cultural identity markers are wrongly interpreted as indicators of separatist affiliation. Such acts constitute violations of Articles 9 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), guaranteeing the right to liberty and protection from arbitrary arrest or detention, and Article 7, which prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Detailed Case Data
Location: Timika, Mimika Baru, Mimika Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia (-4.546759, 136.8837207)
Region: Indonesia, Central Papua, Mimika, Mimika Baru
Total number of victims: 1
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Agustinus Tipagau | male | 22 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, ill-treatment |
Perpetrator: , Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
3) Indigenous Papuan shot dead and three wounded amid security force gunfire at Moanemani Market
On 20 October 2025, security forces opened fire at Moanemani Market, Kamu District, Dogiyai Regency, around 11:00 am. Three people were reportedly injured during the shooting. Later that day, security forces raided the Mauwa Village around 11:36 pm, resulting in the death of Mr Keni Dumupa, with one additional person arrested. Witness accounts indicate unnecessary and disproportionate use of firearms against unarmed civilians in a crowded marketplace and a residential area.
The incident reportedly escalated after a minor altercation following youths revving their motorbikes near the market police post at the Moanemani Market around 11:00 am. According to other accounts, two police officers drove at high speed through the crowded market, triggering anger. When reinforcements arrived at the market, the security forces opened fire, wounding Mr Yustinus Iyai, Mr Deserius Kotouki, and Mr Oya Waine (see photos and video below, source: WPCC). One civilian was reportedly arrested. Sporadic gunfire persisted in Moanemani until ~3:00 pm, with community movement heavily restricted.
Around 11:36 pm, further gunfire by security forces was reported from Mauwa Village, Kamu District. During the incident, Mr Keni Dumupa (see photo on top, source: WPCC) sustained a fatal gunshot to the stomach and died at the scene. Several reports assert joint security forces’ responsibility for the fatal shooting. Only one conflicting media report alleged the victim was shot by members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Keni’s body was taken home and reportedly buried in Mauwa on 21 October 2025.
Human rights and legal analysis
The use of lethal force against civilians in a crowded market and a village setting engages the right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 28A of the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia, as well as obligations under Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights. Under the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, firearms may only be used as a last resort when strictly unavoidable to protect life, and their use must meet necessity and proportionality standards with due regard for precaution. Firing into or around crowds in response to a public order incident is prima facie incompatible with these standards. If TNI units act in a law enforcement role, they are required to comply with international law enforcement standards.
The wounding of three civilians by live fire in daytime market conditions indicates excessive use of force and dangerous crowd-control practices. Medical transfer delays due to limited facilities underscore the state’s duty to facilitate urgent medical care to the maximum of available resources. The arrest of an unidentified civilian without disclosure of legal basis or access to counsel suggests arbitrary arrest in violation of Article 9 ICCPR and domestic due-process guarantees.
The killing of Mr Keni Dumupa constitutes a potential unlawful deprivation of life. Given contested perpetrator attribution, Indonesia has a duty to investigate promptly, effectively, thoroughly, and impartially, consistent with the Minnesota Protocol (2016), ensuring chain-of-custody-compliant forensic ballistics, autopsy or equivalent medical documentation, ensuring family participation rights and witness protection.
Three victims of security force violence at the Moanemani Market on 20 October 2025
Victim table
| No | Name | Time | Location | Additional information |
| 1 | Keni Dumupa | ~11:36 pm | Mauwa Village, Kamu | Gunshot to stomach¸victim died at the scene |
| 2 | Yustinus Iyai | ~11:00 am | Moanemani Market, Ikebo | Transferred for treatment; bullet reportedly removed from right calf in Paniai Hospital. |
| 3 | Deserius Kotouki | ~11:00 am | Moanemani Market, Ikebo | Sustained a bullet wound in the lower left calf; receiving medical care |
| 4 | Oya Waine | ~11:00 am | Moanemani Market, Ikebo | Sustained a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and was hospitalised; reports of surgical removal of the bullet. |
| 5 | Unknown (arrested) | ~11:00 am | Moanemani Market, Ikebo | Arbitrarily arrested; identity not disclosed; whereabouts and legal basis unknown. |
Detailed Case Data
Location: Moanemani/ Ikebo, Kamu, Dogiyai Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia (-4.0034934, 136.0348675) Shootings occurred at Moanemani Market and Mauwa Village
Region: Indonesia, Central Papua, Dogiyai, Kamu
Total number of victims: 5
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Keni Dumupa | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | right to life, unlawful killing |
| 2. | 1 | Yustinus Iyai | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | ill-treatment |
| 3. | 1 | Deserius Kotouki | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | ill-treatment |
| 4. | 1 | Oya Waine | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | ill-treatment |
| 5. | 1 | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
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