3) Human rights minister seeks comprehensive solution to Papua conflicts
Prabowo has been in power as President of Indonesia since October 2024, and the marks of his regime have been increasingly felt across civil society. The atmosphere has turned colder, with greater power going to the security services, a tightening of laws that criminalise dissent, a return of New Order-esque policies, and a sense that the civil rights fought for during the period known as Reformasi are being eroded away.
TAPOL’s latest 2025 West Papua Freedom of Expression and Assembly Report saw the following major trends developing last year compared with 2024:
- More provinces were affected by incidents than in 2024.
- 24.2 per cent increase in intimidation and harassment incidents, including torture and killings.
- 14.3 per cent increase in incidents of arbitrary arrests.
The report shows in numbers that:
- In total, 14 provinces had incidents regarding Freedom of Expression and Assembly in West Papua in 2025, 4 more than in 2024. Papua remains the province with the largest number of incidents, followed by Central Papua and then South Sulawesi. Unlike in previous years, the number of incidents wasn't as concentrated in Papua Province, but was more widely distributed across West Papua and Indonesia, with a noticeable hotspot being South Sulawesi, which is the first time that a province outside of the West Papua region has appeared in the top three.
- With regard to perpetrators, security force personnel, including police, carryed out or were involved in the majority of incidents, which together cover around 65 per cent of reported incidents. This is consistent with levels seen in previous years. The high number of cases committed by unknown perpetrators, which made up 15.6% of all incidents, has been a cause of concern during 2025, and points to a large number of intimidation incidents where no actor involved could be identified. Moreover, companies have come into more and more conflict with local indigenous communities that are speaking up to protect their land, explaining companies" relatively strong involvement in silencing local protests against their plans and intimidating local leaders in order to compel communities into acquiescence. They made up 5.2% of all incidents.
- The majority of those affected is consistent with previous years, but does also include attempts at intimidating Komnas HAM personnel, who ended up being shot at by the TPNPB. The total impact on all campaign groups on West Papua hit 42 per cent of all incidents, which is lower than previous years, as students were the single group that ended up being the most affected in 2025, covering 29.1% of incidents and bearing the brunt of intimidatory activities in particular, as well as dispersal events. Intimidatory actions against individuals and smaller groups shows a return to the proclivity towards these sorts of tactics in 2023, which contrasts to the election year of 2024, but also the climate of fear that Prabowo seeks to create against those who might oppose his policies.
We can discern certain important trends from the data we have collected and analysed:
- Firstly, there has been a general trend since 2023 of strong-arm and targeted arrest tactics to create a climate of fear, with 2025 showing a continuation of this pattern in West Papua. 2024 was somewhat anomalous due to the fact that it was a general election year. There has been a noticeable downturn in mass protest events in West Papua (and those arrested in them), which shows the dire atmosphere of free expression that these conditions are creating.
- Secondly, mirroring Prabowo’s desire to intensify PSNs throughout West Papua during his term as President, there has been a noticeable uptick of intimidation, arrests or attack incidents against those speaking up for indigenous communities affected by these policies. This shows an intensification of tactics that began in 2024.
- Thirdly, intimidation targeted at Papuans across Indonesia has meant the greater geographic spread of incidents recorded this year across the country. Whilst there were no international incidents recorded this year, the fact that a province outside of West Papua (that of South Sulawesi) managed to get into the top three of provinces affected by incidents this year shows a definite increased frequency and proportion of overall events now occurring outside of the region.
Check out the full report by clicking on the link below.
ENDS
Hundreds of mostly ethnic Papuan students and youth marched on the streets of Indonesia's national capital, Jakarta, and major cities in the restive, predominantly Christian Papua region, demanding justice for civilian killings.
More than 500 students and youth joined protest rallies on May 11, demanding justice for the killing of five civilians and injuries to three others in Dogiyai Regency in Central Papua province.
Apart from Jakarta, the protests were held in four major Papuan cities — Nabire, Manokwari, Jayapura, and Sorong, according to reports in the local media.
The protesters demanded justice for the fatal shooting in Dogiyai Regency on March 31 that left five civilians dead and three seriously injured.
The killing was one of a series of violent incidents in the conflict-scarred region that left about 19 people, mostly civilians, killed and dozens injured this year, reports say.
"Today's action is simultaneously held in several Indonesian cities due to the string of violence against civilians in Dogiyai," Edison Iyai, from the Dogiyai Students and Youth Association, which organized the rallies, told reporters.
In Jakarta, protesters staged a rally in front of the Department of Human Rights office, presenting a 21-point charter of demands which included justice for killings, an end to military operations, resolution of the Papuan conflict, and establishment of peace.
"If the state cannot resolve the ongoing humanitarian conflict in Papua, we urge it to immediately open wide access for the United Nations and independent international parties to enter Papua for direct investigations and to promote fair, dignified resolutions based on human rights principles," read the final article in the charter.
In Nabire, Central Papua, students chanted slogans with banners reading "Bloody Dogiyai," "Stop Killing Students," and "Stop Criminalizing Civilians."
In Manokwari, West Papua, students were joined by members of other youth and civil society groups who staged a rally in front of the Regional People's Representative Council, the regional legislative body.
They called for halting military operations, troop withdrawals, independent probes, humanitarian aid, and security guarantees for local communities.
In Sorong, in South West Papua Province, protesters addressed a press conference where they urged the government to end all military actions, causing public anxiety and harming civilian social and humanitarian life.
Father Yanuarius Yance Yogi, a parish priest of St. Misael Bilogai Church in the Timika Diocese, criticized the government's flawed view of civilians
"Communities are treated as enemies, which is unjustifiable. People understand armed violence against actual foes, but this powerlessness breeds collective fear and trauma — not just in rural areas, but across society: civil servants, traders, peasants, even security forces themselves," he told UCA News.
Father Amandus Rahadat from Three King Parish in Timika said that many people outside Papua tend to think that the community and students demonstrating are determined to resist the military.
"This is a misconception. Their demonstrations are actually an expression of historical trauma, a fear that they as a community would perish if violence continues,” the priest told UCA News.
Bishop Bernardus Baru of Timika, a native Papuan and rights defender, said the government needs to listen to the cries of the people.
"A humanistic and dialogical approach is always the best approach, and for this purpose, the church and religious leaders must be involved," he told UCA News.
Indonesia annexed Papua after the end of the Dutch colonial rule in the 1960s, sparking a low-key armed pro-independence movement.
The conflict claimed thousands of lives and displaced tens of thousands in the past decades.
3) Human rights minister seeks comprehensive solution to Papua conflicts
- May 11, 2026 12:49 GMT+700
He conveyed the view in response to a report by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), which recorded 97 violent incidents and armed clashes in Papua throughout 2025 and 26 more cases as of April this year, according to a statement cited on Monday.
Pigai argued that pursuing lasting order, stability, and peace across Papua is essential for Indonesia to shape global perceptions of its human rights commitment, particularly as advances in information technology have made developments in the region increasingly visible to both domestic and international audiences.
"Records from domestic and international sources indicate escalations. Within one month alone, we witnessed at least 20 lives lost in five incidents that occurred in Dogiyai, Yahukimo, Puncak Papua, Timika, and Tembagapura," Pigai said.
He asserted that sweeping, comprehensive measures are key to reversing the trend and tackling root problems, signaling a move away from a case-by-case approach to conflict resolution in Papua.
"Conflict resolution in Papua requires collective decisions involving executive, legislative, and judicial institutions, as well as political parties and national figures," he affirmed.
The minister went on to describe Papua’s cycle of violence as a national strategic issue demanding cross-sector collaboration among multiple ministries and agencies.
For its part, the Ministry of Human Rights remains committed to promoting a more integrated and just approach to conflict resolution while ensuring the protection of human rights, he added.
The government, he continued, holds responsibility to safeguard all citizens nationwide and identify peaceful solutions to issues or conflicts in order to achieve sustainable stability and peace.
Related news: Human rights minister urges probe into Central Papua fatal shooting
Related news: Southwest Papua partners with ADRA to mitigate social conflicts
Related news: Local governments urged to map customary lands to reduce conflicts
Translator: Devi Nindy, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the Papua Provincial Government have agreed to establish cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), focusing primarily on human resource development, improving healthcare quality, regional development through collaboration, and community service through the implementation of the Three Pillars of Higher Education.
Papua Governor Mathius Derek Fakhiri stated that the Papua Provincial Government is currently working to improve the quality of healthcare services, which is a fundamental basis for developing human resources. He expressed hope that this collaboration would support improvements in healthcare services across the six provinces in Papua through the establishment of a Hospital-Based University dedicated to producing specialist doctors from Indigenous Papuan communities.
“We certainly hope that in the future our children will be able to study at UGM so they can return with valuable knowledge and devote themselves to serving the land of Papua,” he said on Friday (May 8) at the UGM Central Office Building.
In addition to the healthcare sector, Governor Fakhiri expressed the Papua Government’s hope to collaborate in supporting the Papua Cerah vision (Smart, Prosperous, and Harmonious Papua) together with UGM experts in agriculture, including rice field development programs, healthcare, and the mining sector, to improve the welfare of Papuan communities.
He also expects UGM to contribute as a leading institution in addressing independence-related issues in the Pacific region, one of which could be realized by opening language classes for residents from Pacific countries so they can study in Papua and directly witness Papua’s development.
“We hope this collaboration can help us establish language classes so our brothers and sisters from the Pacific can study in Papua. This is expected to position Papua as the nation’s frontline,” he explained.
UGM Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, welcomed the cooperation plan in the healthcare sector, which has become the primary priority. According to Dr. Sujito, the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing UGM will serve as the main driving force in the collaboration, particularly in Papua’s healthcare sector, by involving higher education institutions in Papua.
“And of course, this cooperation will also be followed by practical collaborations that can support the successful implementation of healthcare quality improvement programs,” he said.
Furthermore, Dr. Sujito explained that UGM remains committed to providing the ADik scholarship program for Papuan youth. UGM also continues to organize the Community Service Program (KKN) in various regions across Indonesia, particularly in Papua. The program is expected to enable students to directly adapt to Papuan communities and understand the realities of Papua firsthand.
“Therefore, we are very grateful to Papua for continuously welcoming our presence through various community service and cooperation programs. We have gained many valuable experiences through interacting and adapting with friends in Papua. This serves as the foundation for ensuring that this cooperation continues and grows stronger in the future,” he explained.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration involving various parties, particularly universities in Papua, to create meaningful change and comprehensively address issues such as welfare, social inequality, and poverty.
“The most important strength is collaboration rather than competition. Hopefully, this will strengthen the relationship between UGM and Papua,” Dr. Sujito concluded.
Author: Cyntia Noviana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Zabrina Kumara
Photo: Aldi Firmansyah
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