2) Arbitrary detention of two Papuans in South Sorong Regency
3) Marine Corps personnel arbitrarily detain and torture Papuan student in Yahukimo Regency
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1) Marine Corps personnel arbitrarily detain and torture five indigenous Papuans in Yahukimo Regency
On 4 April 2026, Marine Corps personnel (TNI-AL) reportedly detained Mr Yepi Magayang, 25, Mr Kayas Nepsan, 23. Mr Eri Odban, 20, Mr Enias Magayang, 18, and Mr Akilis Osu, 22, without legal grounds on Jalan Gunung, Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands Province. All detainees were reportedly beaten during detention despite not having committed any criminal offence.
According to the information received, the five men were on their way to collect family members who had come down from a village. Marine Corps personnel apprehended them on Jalan Gunung around 11:00 am. They were detained at a nearby military post and subjected them to physical violence while in custody. Officers punched the detainees repeatedly to the body during interrogation.
Four detainees were released at approximately 6:00 pm on the same day. They returned to their family homes in poor physical condition due to injuries sustained during the assault. Mr Akilis Osu was released the following morning, on 5 April 2026 at around 9:20 am. None of the victims received professional medical treatment after release.
The incident forms part of a growing pattern of arbitrary detentions, intimidation, and alleged torture by security force members in Dekai District and other parts of Yahukimo Regency over recent months. Reports indicate that indigenous Papuans travelling for work, family, or daily subsistence activities, have been repeatedly intercepted, detained, interrogated, and assaulted without a clear legal basis. The repeated involvement of military personnel in law-enforcement-type actions raises serious concerns regarding unlawful deprivation of liberty, abuse of authority, and the absence of effective accountability mechanisms.
Human rights analysis
From a human rights law perspective, the detention and assault of the five civilians may amount to violations of the right to liberty and security of person as protected under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The authorities should immediately conduct an independent and impartial investigation, ensure access to medical treatment and legal assistance for all victims, and hold the perpetrators accountable through criminal and disciplinary proceedings.
Table of victims of arbitrary detention in Dekai on 4 April 2026
| No. | Full Name | Age | Gender | Date & Time of Release |
| 1 | Yepi Magayang | 25 | Male | 4 April 2026, 6:00 pm |
| 2 | Kayas Nepsan | 23 | Male | 4 April 2026, 6:00 pm |
| 3 | Eri Odban | 20 | Male | 4 April 2026, 6:00 pm |
| 4 | Enias Magayang | 18 | Male | 4 April 2026, 6:00 pm |
| 5 | Akilis Osu | 22 | Male | 5 April 2026, 09:20 am |
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-059-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 5
Document ID: HRM-CAS-059-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 5
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Yepi Magayang | male | 25 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 2. | 1 | Kayas Nipsan | male | 23 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 3. | 1 | Eri Odban | male | 20 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 4. | 1 | Enias MAgayang | male | 18 | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention, torture |
| 5. | 1 | Akilis Osu | male | 22 | Indigenous Peoples | torture |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
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2) Arbitrary detention of two Papuans in South Sorong Regency
On 15 April 2026, joint security force members arbitrarily apprehended Mr Moses Worait and Mr Lukas Ky (see phot on top, source: Jubi) at a motorbike workshop located next to the South Sorong Police Station in Teminabuan District, Southwest Papua Province. Both individuals were detained without a clear legal ground. Mr Lukas Ky is a senior high school student and was released the same day at approximately 7:00 pm, while Mr Moses Worait remained in custody overnight He was released on 16 April 2026 at approximately 06:00 am following interrogation.
Mr Worait and Mr Lukas Ky were repairing a motorbike at a workshop when security personnel arrived suddenly on motorbikes and apprehended them without prior summons, explanation, or presentation of a warrant. Mr Moses Worait was interrogated in relation to a shooting incident that had occurred in Sorry Village on 22 March 2026. He denied any involvement. Despite his explanation that he had previously surrendered to the authorities in December 2024, officers allegedly continued to treat him as a suspect.
No evidence was presented linking either detainee to any criminal offence. Mr Lukas Ky was released on the same day, while Moses Worait remained detained overnight without legal clarity before being released the following morning.
Legal and human rights analysis
The detention of both individuals raise serious concerns under international human rights law, particularly the prohibition of arbitrary arrest under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a State Party. The absence of a warrant, failure to inform the detainees of the reasons for arrest, and lack of prompt judicial oversight indicate that the deprivation of liberty was unlawful and arbitrary.
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-060-2026
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > South Sorong
Total number of victims: 2
Document ID: HRM-CAS-060-2026
Region: Indonesia > Southwest Papua > South Sorong
Total number of victims: 2
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Lukas Ky | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
| 2. | 1 | Moses Worait | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples | arbitrary detention |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: indigenous peoples
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3) Marine Corps personnel arbitrarily detain and torture Papuan student in Yahukimo Regency
On 3 April 2026, members of the Indonesian Marine Corps arbitrarily detrained and subsequently tortured Mr Etoni Suhun, 18, at a Marine post on Tambang Kokamo Road near Dekai town, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands Province. Mr Suhun is a senior high school student from Weawen Village, Soloikma District, Yahukimo Regency. He was detained without legal basis and subjected to severe physical abuse over a period of approximately two days and three nights before being released on 5 April 2026 morning.
Mr Suhun was travelling by minibus from Dekai to a gold panning site along the Ei River when Marine personnel stopped the vehicle and searched all passengers at a checkpoint around 10:30 am. Officers reportedly singled him out solely on the basis of his physical appearance, including his dreadlocked hair, necklace, and beard. Despite finding no incriminating evidence, the officers detained him and transferred him between multiple Marine posts, including locations along the Seradala Road and in the Kokamo Village.
During detention, Marine personnel accused him of being affiliated with the TPNPB and subjected him to repeated interrogation accompanied by torture. The victim reported being kicked with boots, beaten with electrical cables on the back (see photos below, source: independent HRD), and electrocuted with exposed wires while his hands were tied behind his back, and his eyes covered with duct tape. The hands were only untied during during meals.
On 4 April 2026 at approximately 11:10 Papua Time, he was transferred to another Marine post on Jalan Statistik. Mr Suhun was ultimately released in the morning of 5 April 2026, as military members returned him to his home in Paradiso Street and allegedly gave him IDR 100,000 (about € 6) while instructing him not to document or disclose the abuse.
Human rights analysis
This case constitutes a prima facie violation of the prohibition of arbitrary detention. The absence of an arrest warrant, lack of evidence, and reliance on discriminatory profiling based on physical appearance indicate clear non-compliance with both Indonesian criminal procedure and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Under international human rights law, the detention appears unlawful and arbitrary, lacking necessity, proportionality, and legal certainty.
The reported acts of torture , including beatings, electrocution, and coercive interrogation, constitute serious violations of the absolute prohibition of torture, a non-derogable norm under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The deliberate infliction of severe physical and mental suffering for the purpose of extracting a confession or information meets the legal threshold of torture. Furthermore, the attempt by officers to silence the victim through intimidation and monetary inducement raises concerns regarding obstruction of justice and impunity, undermining the victim’s right to an effective remedy.
This case must be viewed within a broader pattern of arbitrary detentions and torture by security forces in Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, over recent months. Multiple documented incidents indicate that young Indigenous Papuan civilians have been repeatedly targeted by security forces on vague or unsubstantiated suspicions of affiliation with the TPNPB. Such operations have frequently involved racial profiling, interception at checkpoints, and subsequent detention in military facilities without judicial oversight.
Testimonies from several cases point to the systematic use of torture and coercive interrogation methods, including beatings, electrocution, and threats, suggesting that such practices are not isolated but may reflect a pattern of conduct tolerated or inadequately addressed within security operations in the Yahukimo Regency and potentially other conflict areas. The recurrence of these violations, coupled with the absence of effective accountability mechanisms, raises serious concerns regarding structural impunity and the normalisation of abusive practices in the region.
Wounds on Mr Etoni Suhun’s back which he sustaiuned as a result of torture during military detention in Derkai District between 3 and 5 April 2026
Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-058-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
Document ID: HRM-CAS-058-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Etoni Suhun | diverse | 18 | Indigenous Peoples, Student | arbitrary detention, torture |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence
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