1) TPNPB-OPM Claims to Have Shot Down Indonesian Military Aircraft in Yahukimo, Papua

2) Indonesia enacts new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code: Human rights organisations declare legal emergency

3) Military members accused of ill-treating Indigenous elderly in Sahbuku Village, Maybrat

4) Papua unveils plan to build 14,000 homes in one year 

----------------------------------------------------

https://en.tempo.co/read/2081039/tpnpb-opm-claims-to-have-shot-down-indonesian-military-aircraft-in-yahukimo-papua

1) TPNPB-OPM Claims to Have Shot Down Indonesian Military Aircraft in Yahukimo, Papua 

 Reporter Andi Adam Faturahman January 17, 2026 | 01:01 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) claims to have shot down a Hercules aircraft passing through the Yahukimo region of the Highland Papua. The spokesperson for the TPNPB headquarters, Sebby Sambom, stated that based on reports from the Battalion Commander and HSSBI Kodap XVI Yahukimo Operations Commander, Enos M. Yoal and Wene Kobak, the shooting occurred on Friday, January 16, 2026.

"We shot it down because it entered the war zone in Yahukimo," Sebby said in a written statement on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

He explained that the shooting of the aircraft, allegedly belonging to the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), took place on Gunung Street, Yahukimo. Enos M. Yoal claimed that his forces had riddled the aircraft's body with bullets during the shooting.

Sebby urged civilian aircraft in Papua not to serve as military transport, including TNI equipment. "We are ready to shoot, please leave the war zone in Yahukimo," Sebby said.

Colonel Try Poerwanto, the commander of the Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam), stated that the widely circulated video footage of the aircraft being shot down in Yahukimo was an old issue being resurrected.

He explained that, as stated by the Commander of the Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih, the Vice President's visit to Yahukimo on Wednesday was canceled for security reasons. Therefore, he confirmed that the aircraft shot down was not an R1-2 aircraft.

"It wasn't an R1-2 aircraft that was shot down. It was an old video that was re-uploaded to create a tense situation," Try told Tempo on Saturday.

Previously, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka canceled his working visit to Yahukimo, originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

"Based on security considerations, it was advised to the Vice President not to visit Yahukimo," said the Commander of the Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih, Major General Amrin Ibrahim, at the Frans Kaisiepo International Airport in Biak, Papua, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, as quoted in the official statement from the Vice President's Secretariat.

He explained that based on intelligence information, there was detected activity by groups that had the potential to disrupt security stability in that area.

Gibran's visit to Yahukimo should have been included in the Papua agenda after he visited Senior High School 41 and the fish market in Biak Numfor on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

The Vice President's Secretariat stated in its official release that the working visit to Papua is a government effort to accelerate development in Papua.

Yahukimo is one of the areas designated by the TPNPB as a conflict zone in Papua. Sebby Sambom stated that there are 9 regions designated as conflict zones.

The nine regions referred to are Yahukimo Regency, Bintang Mountains, Nduga, Puncak Jaya, Intan Jaya, Maybrat, Dogiyai, Paniai, and Deiyai. "We will shoot anyone who enters this area," he said in April 2025.

Read: Papua Lawmaker Rejects Prabowo's Palm Oil Plan, Military Projects

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

-------------------------------------

https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/indonesia-enacts-new-criminal-code-and-criminal-procedure-code-human-rights-organisations-declare-legal-emergency/

2) Indonesia enacts new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code: Human rights organisations declare legal emergency

Human Rights News / Indonesia / 16 January 2026

On 2 January 2026, Indonesia enacted its new Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), prompting a coalition of civil society organizations to declare an “Indonesian legal emergency.” The new laws, which replace Dutch colonial-era criminal legislation, have drawn sharp criticism from legal experts, human rights defenders, and historians. They are concerned that the codes threaten fundamental freedoms and expand state power at the expense of citizens’ rights.

Among the most troubling provisions in the new KUHP are restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Article 256 now criminalises participation in demonstrations held without prior notification to the authorities, a significant departure from the previous law, which only penalised those who disrupted lawful protests. The code also increases the maximum punishment for treason from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Perhaps most alarming, Article 622 explicitly repeals key provisions of Law Number 26/2000 on Human Rights Courts, effectively eliminating criminal accountability for gross human rights violations.  Human rights advocates say that his move will entrench impunity for past and future abuses.

The new Criminal Procedure Code has raised equally serious concerns about expanding police powers without adequate judicial oversight. Under Article 120, investigators can now carry out confiscations without obtaining a warrant from a court, requiring only the investigator’s own assessment of urgency. The code also grants National Police investigators authority to coordinate, supervise, and direct other investigative bodies. Human rights observers argue that the new KUHAP grants too much authority to the police. Additional provisions on wiretapping and digital forensics lack sufficient independent oversight, creating conditions in which abuses are likely to occur.

Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director, Mr Usman Hamid, warned that these codes will encourage authorities to criminalise government critics, noting that provisions on insulting the president, vice president, and state agencies can be instrumentalised to counter dissent. This concern is particularly acute given ongoing detentions of activists arrested during protests in August 2025, which Hamid characterized as reflecting “a political policy of today’s administration to suppress criticism.” Former Attorney General Marzuki Darusman described the situation starkly: “The KUHAP should have been the last bastion protecting citizens from police arbitrariness. With these new laws, that bastion has collapsed.”

The legislative process itself has drawn criticism. The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation noted that civil society received the official KUHAP document only on 30 December 2025, one day before the bills became effective. Moreover, the bill was enacted with no implementing regulations (Peraturan Pelaksanaan, PP) in place.

That raises the question of whether Indonesia can still be considered a state governed by the rule of law. The new laws increase legal supremacy in the hands of the state, while the protection of citizens from government overreach was significantly weakened. Indonesian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on President Prabowo to issue an emergency regulation postponing implementation until meaningful public participation and proper transition mechanisms can be established. They encouraged citizens to pursue judicial review before the Constitutional Court.

—————————————————————————————————

https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/military-member-accused-of-ill-treating-indigenous-elderly-in-sahbuku-village-maybrat/

3) Military members accused of ill-treating Indigenous elderly in Sahbuku Village, Maybrat

16 January 2026 / 2 minutes of reading

On 31 December 2025, Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel stationed at the Aisa Military Post reportedly ill-treated an elderly man named Mr Markus Sahbuku in the Sahbuku Village, East Aifat District, Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua Province..

According to information received, military personnel approached Mr Sahbuku and his son after hearing gunshots in the area. The soldiers allegedly suspected them of supplying goods to members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). At the time the gunshots were reportedly heard, Mr Sahbuku was inside a church preparing for the New Year’s Eve service. Despite the absence of credible evidence, TNI personnel kicked Mr Sahbuku in the ribs at least three times, causing severe pain and physical suffering (see photo on top, source: independent HRD).

Human rights analysis

The reported conduct of TNI personnel violates the absolute prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment as enshrined in the International Convention Against Torture (CAT) and Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The victim was not posing any threat. The use of force was punitive and retaliatory, based solely on suspicion and collective stigmatisation of Indigenous Papuans as alleged supporters of armed groups. Such acts of racial profiling also undermine the principle of civilian protection and exacerbate fear and trauma within local communities.

Detailed Case Data
Location: Aifat Timur, Maybrat Regency, West Papua, Indonesia (-1.3591179, 132.59276) Sahbuku Village
Region: Indonesia, Southwest Papua, Maybrat, East Aifat
Total number of victims: 1

#	Number of Victims	Name, Details	Gender	Age	Group Affiliation	Violations
1.	1	Markus Sahbuku	male	elderly	Indigenous Peoples	ill-treatment

Period of incident: 31/12/2025 – 31/12/2025
Perpetrator: Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence

————————————————————————————————————————

https://en.antaranews.com/news/400257/papua-unveils-plan-to-build-14000-homes-in-one-year

4) Papua unveils plan to build 14,000 homes in one year 

 January 16, 2026 21:40 GMT+700

Jayapura (ANTARA) - The Papua provincial government announced plans to develop 14,000 homes for residents this year, starting in urban coastal areas.

“We have proposed constructing 14,000 housing units within one fiscal year,” Papua Governor Mathius Fakhiri said, adding that the program will begin with a pilot project on Kosong Island in Jayapura City.

Speaking in Jayapura on Friday, he said the housing initiative as part of the government’s strategy to improve public welfare while enhancing settlement arrangements and spatial planning.

"Housing development will certainly conform with local wisdom," he added.

Fakhiri further said his office will coordinate closely with municipal and district governments to assess actual housing needs, ensuring the program benefits those most in need.

"We are also awaiting support and program synchronization from relevant ministries so the housing program can proceed sustainably," the governor stated.

Last year, Housing and Residential Area Minister Maruarar Sirait said that subsidized housing must be made available nationwide to achieve social justice for all.

Sirait noted that the government consistently promotes housing financing assistance, such as the Liquidity Housing Financing Facility (FLPP) managed by the Public Housing Savings Management Agency (BP Tapera).

He remarked that BP Tapera had inked a collaboration agreement with the Home Affairs Ministry that outlines the Home Affairs Ministry's support in collecting data on civil servants eligible to apply for FLPP assistance.

The minister remarked that all innovations and breakthroughs in the program are made possible through collaborations among all stakeholders.



Related news: Prabowo orders village-level food barns to boost food security

Related news: Indonesia targets food self-sufficiency in Papua within three years

Related news: VP Gibran visits Wamena market to boost indigenous Papuan economy

Translator: Qadri P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: M Razi Rahman

-----------------------------------------