Indonesia’s Immigration Directorate General detained the 39-year-old Russian man, identified by his initials AP, on Aug. 15, according to the immigration authorities.
Authorities alleged AP was involved in unauthorized filming of a protest organized by the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, violating the terms of his tourist visa.
Russian Ambassador Sergei Tolchenov said Wednesday that the embassy was aware of the detention and was seeking formal clarification from Indonesian authorities.
Tolchenov said AP appeared to be a travel blogger who happened to witness events in Papua and filmed them, rather than someone working as a journalist.
The ambassador said AP did not hold permits required for journalistic activities or professional filming, making a violation of Indonesian immigration rules possible.
Tolchenov said the embassy would leave decisions on possible sanctions to Indonesian authorities, including revoking AP’s stay permit or deporting him.
He said Indonesian authorities would need to provide the embassy with details of the allegations before deciding what action to take against AP.
The Russian Embassy will continue coordinating with Indonesian authorities to protect AP’s rights and monitor his situation, including his detention conditions and health, Tolchenov said.
Tolchenov urged Russian nationals in Indonesia to comply strictly with local laws and ensure their activities are consistent with the purposes of their visas.
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Reporter: Uyu Septiyati Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
A proposal from the Indonesian government to conduct a new registration of internally-displaced Papuans across their conflict-affected territory has been condemned by the West Papua National Committee.
The Committee, whose objective is to advance the right of their ethnically-diverse people to self-determination, fears the data collection would serve the political interests of Jakarta rather than address the root cause of Indigenous displacement; colonialism.
That concern was raised Monday by the Papuan pro-independence political movement chairman, Agus Kossay, following an announcement from the Indonesian Human Rights Minister, Natalius Pigai - an Indigenous Papuan - about the government's alleged motives for the territory.
"The West Papua National Committee firmly rejects the state plan to register internally displaced people through government institutions as comparative data on displacement in (West) Papua because it is intended to strengthen the Jakarta government's position under the pretext of development and improving the welfare of Papuans," Mr Kossay said.
Mr Kossay said the committee's position is based on data compiled from Papuan churches and human rights workers, which have allegedly counted that 125,931 people have been internally displaced by the ongoing armed conflict in the territory that Papuans historically claim as their own.
The organisation, which says it speaks for Papuan people that are under the control of Indonesia, also rejected the involvement of individuals claiming to represent their committee or other Papuans in any cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of Human Rights or the new Executive Committee for the Acceleration of Papua's Development on the issue of internal displacement.
The latest executive committee was created by the Indonesian government in October 2025 as a body to ostensibly coordinate and accelerate development under Indonesia's special autonomy framework. But the West Papua National Committee have previously claimed the 10 Indigenous Papuans appointed by Jakarta are "collaborators" serving only the Indonesian state.
Mr Kossay also referred to previous statements from Mr Pigai and executive committee chairman, Velix Wanggai, who previously said Indonesia intended to open dialogue with strategic organisations including the West Papua National Committee, the West Papua National Liberation Army and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua to end violence and achieve lasting peace.
However, Mr Kossay said his committee, on behalf of the Papuan people, rejected the proposal that did not address what has caused civilian casualties and mass displacement of Papuan people in Western New Guinea.
According to Mr Kossay, the conflict stems from the 1962 New York agreement and Indonesia's Trikora military operation of West Papua, which he said undermined the United Nations mechanism towards the 1969 Act of Free Choice and the West Papuan people's right to self-determination.
"This has been the main source of conflict in Papua for the past 65 years," he said.
"The central government's offer of development and welfare is not a framework for resolving the root causes of the Papua conflict. It is a framework for maintaining Indonesia's illegal occupation of Papua."
Mr Kossay argued the Indonesian government and the Papuan people should agree on a conflict resolution process to be mediated by a neutral international party.
He also advocated for a review of what the committee described as legal and political violations surrounding the Papuan people's right to self-determination under the agreement.
The committee has also called on political leaders from the Pacific, African and Caribbean nations to urge Indonesia to grant access to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross to assess internally-displaced Papuans in conflict areas and to investigate alleged human rights abuses from the militarisation.
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