Merauke, Jubi – A riot broke out at Merauke Class IIB Correctional Facility in South Papua on Friday morning, 9 October 2026. Several inmates reportedly attacked officers and forced their way into the prison office area, where a fire broke out. Some inmates were also suspected of escaping during the unrest.
The riot is believed to have started after officers inspected inmates’ mobile phones as part of a policy prohibiting mobile phones inside the prison.
Amiranto, head of security at the Merauke Class IIB Correctional Facility, said the inspections began on Thursday night, 8 October 2026. Inmates were asked to show the mobile phones they possessed.
He said officers did not immediately confiscate the phones but instead asked inmates to hand them over to their families to take home.
“I asked who owned a mobile phone and told them to hold it in their hands. Everyone showed theirs. I did not confiscate your phones. I asked you to have your families come and take them home, because the minister has ordered that mobile phones are not allowed inside,” Amiranto said.
He said officers inspected all inmate accommodation blocks. However, the situation changed on Friday morning when a group of inmates gathered in an area of the prison at around 8 am local time.
About an hour later, several inmates allegedly began attacking officers and attempting to force their way into the prison office area.
“Suddenly, they gathered in the morning and attacked us from the main entrance. We tried to hold them back but could not. Eventually, they broke through the door on the left-hand side,” he said.
After the door was breached, a fire broke out in the prison office area. Amiranto said he did not know who had started the fire.
“That was when the burning started. I don’t know whether someone inside set the fire or what happened. Suddenly, the flames were already burning,” he said.
In addition to the fire and attacks on officers, several inmates were suspected of escaping during the riot. However, prison authorities had not confirmed how many inmates had fled.
Amiranto said officers would need to recount the inmates and cross-check their registration records.
“We don’t know yet how many escaped. We will conduct another registration to count and check the number of inmates,” he said.
Merauke Deputy Police Chief Commissioner Jerry Koagouw said police received a report from prison authorities at around 10 am local time.
Following the report, police and military personnel were deployed to secure the facility and help manage the situation. Dozens of police, Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and military personnel were at the scene.
Firefighters also made repeated deployments to extinguish the blaze that engulfed the prison office building. By around noon, the flames had reportedly been brought under control.
The number of inmates believed to have escaped, the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage remain unconfirmed as authorities have yet to issue an official statement. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – The Jayapura Legal Aid Institute of the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice (LBH APIK Jayapura) has urged Papua Police to protect victims and their advocates in two child sexual abuse cases they are handling.
The organisation also called on police to promptly hold a case conference in the first case and arrest the suspect in the second, who is alleged to be a police officer.
LBH APIK Jayapura made the request alongside the Papua Provincial Technical Implementation Unit for Women and Child Protection (UPTD PPA) during a briefing on the two cases with Jubi on Saturday, 3 October 2026. They said delays in handling the cases had left both the victims and their advocates at risk.
LBH APIK Jayapura said the first case involved the alleged sexual abuse of a child by a state civil servant (ASN) in Central Papua. The case has been under investigation by Papua Police for nearly three months, but a case conference has yet to be held. Three weeks ago, investigators questioned the victim, followed a week later by interviews with two witnesses.
LBH APIK Jayapura said the victim’s testimony, statements from the two witnesses, medical examination results and psychological assessment were sufficient to proceed to a case conference under the Sexual Violence Crime Law (UU TPKS). In sexual violence cases, the organisation said, a victim’s testimony is admissible as evidence, meaning additional witnesses are not necessarily required.
As the victim’s legal advocate, LBH APIK Jayapura questioned what was preventing the case conference from taking place. The case is also reportedly being monitored by the acting head of the Renakta Subdirectorate at Papua Police.
Following the witness examinations, the legal advocates themselves came under pressure and intimidation. On 24 September 2026, about seven people from the victim’s family and the alleged perpetrator’s family visited the LBH APIK Jayapura office around midday. Staff members were working in the field at the time, leaving only the director at the office. The visitors accused the director of hiding the child.
The director responded that the child was under state protection through the Ministry of Social Affairs. Since the incident, LBH APIK Jayapura has suspended office operations. The closure, initially planned for just over a week as a precautionary measure, had by then extended to two weeks.
On Wednesday, 30 September 2026, LBH APIK Jayapura met with the acting head of the Renakta Subdirectorate, which handles juvenile, child and women’s cases, at Papua Police to report the intimidation.
“We asked for protection because the intimidation is real,” LBH APIK Jayapura said, adding that no follow-up action had been taken after the meeting.
The intimidation occurred again on Saturday, 3 October 2026, at around 8 am local time, when the director was visited at their private residence by members of the victim’s family and the alleged perpetrator’s family. They demanded that the victim be taken back to their home village.
LBH APIK Jayapura said the victim’s family had failed to support the child and was instead pressuring them to return home. The victim’s father allegedly made threats and engaged in intimidation when attempts were made to establish communication between him and the child. The victim has refused to return home and wants the legal process to continue.
LBH APIK Jayapura said victims of sexual violence should not be brought into contact with family members during legal proceedings, particularly when there are indications that the alleged perpetrator is someone close to the victim.
The organisation stressed that sexual violence is a crime, not merely an offence that can be settled privately, and that cases already reported to police cannot be mediated or resolved through an informal settlement. It said the family did not understand this, and investigators should have explained the law and warned them against such actions.
LBH APIK Jayapura said the family’s actions could be reported as an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
“We, as legal advocates, are simply ensuring that the victim receives their rights,” the organisation said.
The organisation also questioned the police response.
“If witnesses are threatened and victims are intimidated, what exactly do they intend to prove later in court?” LBH APIK Jayapura said.
The organisation alleged that investigators had allowed the intimidation to continue. It also said investigators had failed to refer the victim to the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), despite the Sexual Violence Crime Law requiring such protection to be addressed from the outset of a case.
LBH APIK Jayapura cited Articles 28 and 29 of the Sexual Violence Crime Law, which it said require the state, including the police, to protect legal advocates and victims.
“This is a legal mandate,” the organisation said.
LBH APIK Jayapura said it would report the second incident of intimidation to the Professional and Security Division (Propam) of Papua Police on Monday, 5 October 2026, and ask the division to oversee the investigators handling the case.
In the second case, the victim is a child currently being sheltered by their advocate. According to LBH APIK Jayapura, the legal process has been underway for about four months and police have named a suspect, but the suspect has not been detained. The suspect is alleged to be a police officer.
LBH APIK Jayapura questioned why the suspect had not been detained despite having been formally named as a suspect.
LBH APIK Jayapura said the risks to the victim were significant.
“The perpetrator himself is going around looking for the victim,” the organisation said.
The suspect has reportedly appeared several times at the victim’s school, leaving the child frightened and disrupting their right to education. LBH APIK Jayapura urged Papua Police to ensure that the law was applied equally to everyone.
“Everyone is equal before the law,” the organisation said. “If the person has indeed been named a suspect, they must be detained immediately. They cannot be given special treatment.”
A victim advocate from the Papua Provincial UPTD PPA described the psychological condition of the victim in the first case, based on an initial assessment. The advocate said the victim took a long time to respond to questions, avoided eye contact and appeared anxious. The victim also reported having difficulty sleeping soundly since experiencing sexual violence.
The Papua Provincial UPTD PPA said the victim was experiencing anxiety, fear and trauma, prompting the involvement of a clinical psychologist as required under the Sexual Violence Crime Law. The advocate said support could not be provided in a single session, as it was difficult for someone to recount traumatic experiences to a person they had only recently met.
The Papua UPTD PPA has also sought to coordinate with relevant government agencies to ensure that the first victim could continue their education while the legal proceedings were underway. The second victim has continued attending school with support from a clinical psychologist.
In addition to Papua Police, LBH APIK Jayapura called on the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and child protection organisations to monitor both cases and provide protection for the victims and their advocates.
Jubi attempted to seek comment from the acting head of Subdirectorate IV for Juvenile, Child and Women’s Affairs (Renakta) at the Papua Police Criminal Investigation Directorate, First Inspector Hendra Wahyudi, on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
Hendra said his office had prepared a response but needed to report to the head of the Criminal Investigation Directorate and wait for him to finish a meeting with the Papua Police chief.
“I am still at the office, waiting for him [the Criminal Investigation Directorate chief] to finish his meeting with senior police officials chaired by the Papua Police chief,” Hendra told Jubi via WhatsApp in Jayapura, Papua.
On Wednesday morning, 7 October 2026, Jubi sought further comment from the head of Subdirectorate IV Renakta, who said he was still waiting because the Papua Police Criminal Investigation Directorate chief had left for Jakarta.
“Good morning, I apologise. I waited for him last night [until 11 pm local time] but could not meet him, and this morning he received sudden orders to go to Jakarta. According to the information I received, he will return tomorrow [8 October]. As for this matter, I cannot respond before receiving further instructions,” he said.
Jubi also contacted Papua Police Criminal Investigation Directorate chief Senior Commissioner Parasian Herman Gultom, S.I.K, M.Si., via messaging applications and telephone, but had received no response or confirmation by the time this report was published. (*)
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