1) Military members arbitrarily detain seven indigenous Papuans in East Beoga District, Puncak Regency

2) Military trial opens for acid attack on Indonesian human rights activist Andrie Yunus

3) Amnesty Slams Gov't Plan to Screen Activists: 'Repressive Tool’ 

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https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/military-members-arbitrarily-detain-seven-indigenous-papuans-in-east-beoga-district-puncak-regency/

1) Military members arbitrarily detain seven indigenous Papuans in East Beoga District, Puncak Regency

30 April 2026 / 2 minutes of reading

On 15 April 2026, Indonesian military personnel allegedly detained seven indigenous Papuans from Kimurik and Pupet villages without warrant in East Beoga District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, while they were travelling to town to buy food. One of the detainees is a female. Military members detained them inside a military post, interrogated and reportedly tortured them. All detainees were released on 16 April 2026, following intervention by local police authorities confirming their civilian status.

According to eyewitness accounts, the seven villagers were en route from their homes to the Beoga Timur district centre when they were stopped mid-journey by military personnel at around 10:25 am. Without presenting legal grounds or arrest warrants, the security forces apprehended the group and detained them at a military post in Beoga Timur District under the suspicion of being affiliated with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). During their detention, the victims were interrogated and reportedly subjected to physical violence. Their release reportedly followed objections raised by the local police chief, who confirmed that the individuals were ordinary civilians.

Human rights analysis

The reported treatment of the seven Papuans arrested in East Beoga District on 15 April 2026 raises concerns of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, torture or other ill-treatment in  violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). The incident is particularly concerning, given that all detainees reportedly carrying official identity cards and did not bring any suspicious items with them. The broader pattern of arbitrary arrests and detention of minors, and students on unsubstantiated allegations of links to the TPNPB in conflict hotspots across West Papua, suggests a climate of coercion and collective suspicion in which ordinary Papuan civilians are at heightened risk of abuse.

Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-062-2026
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Puncak > East Beoga
Total number of victims: 7

#	Number of Victims	Name, Details	Gender	Age	Group Affiliation	Violations
1.	1	Yuwena Murib	female	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
2.	1	Kulimaju Kulla	male	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
3.	1	Delminus Alom	male	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
4.	1	Tengkelam Murib	male	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
5.	1	Amiton Magai	male	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
6.	1		male	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture
7.	1		unknown	unknown	Indigenous Peoples	arbitrary detention, torture

Period of incident: 15/04/2026 – 15/04/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and children

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https://humanrightsmonitor.org/news/military-trial-opens-for-acid-attack-on-indonesian-human-rights-activist-andrie-yunus/

2) Military trial opens for acid attack on Indonesian human rights activist Andrie Yunus

Human Rights News / Indonesia / 30 April 2026 

The first hearing in the acid attack case against KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus was held on 29 April 2026 at the Jakarta Military Court II-08. The four defendants Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetya, First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, First Lieutenant Sami Lakka, and Sergeant Second Class Edi Sudarko, all members of the Indonesian Armed Forces’ Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS). faced the reading of their indictment. The military prosecution alleged that the defendants were motivated by a “personal vendetta” against Andrie Yunus, stemming from his interruption of a meeting on the revision of the TNI Act at a Jakarta hotel in March 2025, which they considered an insult to the military institution. The attack took place on 12 March 2026, when the defendants followed Andrie Yunus and doused him with a corrosive chemical substance near Jalan Salemba, Central Jakarta.

The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), representing Andrie Yunus, boycotted the hearing and has rejected the trial’s framing entirely. TAUD contends that the attack was a systematic, coordinated intelligence operation involving16 perpetrators. The involvement of more than four perpetrators in the attack was also corroborated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which identified 14 suspected on-site operatives and three off-site suspects through CCTV analysis, phone data, and witness testimony. TAUD argues that limiting proceedings to four defendants and attributing the attack to personal grievances represents a deliberate effort to conceal the full scale of the operation and shield those who ordered it.

Concerns over accountability extend to the civilian investigation, which has effectively stalled. TAUD has filed a pre-trial petition at the South Jakarta District Court against the Metro Jaya Police Chief after the police investigation was suspended following the transfer of the case file to the TNI Military Police. Separately, TAUD has noted that civilian perpetrators may also have been involved, raising serious questions about jurisdiction and the adequacy of military courts. Human rights organisations and many legal experts say that the military justice system in Indonesia lacks the independence to deliver impartial justice in cases which potentially involve high-ranking state officials.

The case has drawn significant public concern given its implications for civic freedoms and military accountability in Indonesia. While President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to identify those who ordered and financed the attack, and has indicated consideration of an independent fact-finding team, TAUD has expressed deep scepticism, noting that they have received no investigation updates. The trial is scheduled to resume on 6–7 May 2026 with witness and expert testimony. For human rights observers, the credibility of the process will depend on whether the full chain of command and all perpetrators have undergone trial.

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https://en.tempo.co/read/2101263/amnesty-slams-govt-plan-to-screen-activists-repressive-tool

3) Amnesty Slams Gov't Plan to Screen Activists: 'Repressive Tool’ 

Reporter Intan Setiawanty April 30, 2026 | 10:26 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International Indonesia slams Indonesia's Ministry of Human Rights proposal to assemble a team to determine the status of human rights defenders. The organization sees this policy as potentially limiting civil space and deviating from the principles of human rights.

Deputy Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Wirya Adiwena, deems the plan a dangerous step backward that violates the basic principles of human rights.

"The state lacks moral or legal legitimacy to determine who can or cannot be called a human rights defender," said Wirya in a written statement on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Wirya believes that the state is obligated to protect human rights defenders, rather than putting a label on them.

Wirya argues that "human rights defender" is an action-based status, rather than government recognition. The proposal, he said, contradicts the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

According to him, the plan to establish an assessment team paves the way to potential conflicts of interest as the state reviews parties that oversee its own performance. "If implemented, this assessment team will certainly become a tool of administrative repression," said Wirya.

The policy risks not recognizing critical activists as human rights defenders, subsequently leading to increased vulnerability to criminalization and intimidation.

Amnesty also rejects the sidelining of professional human rights defenders who receive payment, citing journalists, lawyers, and legal aid workers. Wirya likens the proposal to New Order-era screening practices against Indonesian citizens. 

Previously, Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai revealed the plan to form an assessment team in an interview with Antara. The team would consist of state officials, civil society, and law enforcement officers.

Pigai mentioned that the team would determine whether someone can be categorized as a human rights activist. He also dismissed individuals who receive payments from defending human rights, deeming them ineligible to state protection. 

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