3) Police officer ill-treat Uncen student leader during questioning of activists in Jayapura
The Indonesian Government has exercised its right to reply during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to respond to a statement made by Vanuatu on human rights in West Papua.
In his remarks, the Vanuatu Permanent Representative to the UN, Odo Tevi, urged action on the call made by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders in 2019 for Indonesia to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua to assess claims of widespread rights abuses.
Ambassador Tevi said Vanuatu remains deeply concerned about reports of serious human rights violations affecting indigenous Papuans in West Papua.
The same concerns were echoed by the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. In its reply, the Indonesian Government rejected these remarks.
Indonesian diplomat Nona Gae Luna made it clear that any visit to West Papua must be agreed between Indonesia and the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, as is the practice with all Member States, rather than being arranged through a regional body.
She said Indonesia rejects any attempt to present disinformation or misinformation about the human rights situation in Indonesia, as it remains grounded in democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The Indonesian diplomat said human rights concerns deserve serious discussion and should not be used as a tool to justify violence or separatism.
Some countries had chosen to omit facts about civilian victims from their narratives while advancing allegations against Indonesia, which makes the concerns less credible, she stressed.
“Mr President, any serious discussion of Papua must reflect the full picture,” said the diplomat.
“Innocent civilians, teachers, health workers and many others have fallen victim to violence by armed criminal groups. In recent weeks, three civil servants were massacred after delivering livestock assistance to locals, a civilian driver transporting basic commodities was also killed, and nine women and children were abducted by an armed group. These are not acts of peaceful political expression. Attacking innocent civilians and murdering civil servants are criminal acts.
“Indonesia has a responsibility to protect all of its citizens.
“Law enforcement must and will remain subject to Indonesian laws and our international human rights obligations. We therefore categorically reject any attempt to present disinformation or misinformation about human rights situations in Indonesia. Indonesia will continue to engage constructively through relevant mechanisms.”
Indonesia currently holds the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council. The one-year term ends on December 31, 2026.
Human rights organisations and civil society groups have also raised concerns about Indonesia’s domestic human rights record and have called for greater accountability during its tenure.
PRIME Minister Matthew Cooper Wale has defended his remarks on the issue of West Papua and renewal of the call of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) for Jakarta to immediately facilitate the long-awaited visit of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights to visit West Papua for an independent verification of the human rights violations against its indigenous Melanesian population.
Indonesian diplomat Nona Gae Luna, in exercise of Jakarta’s right of response to Honiara’s remarks on West Papua, rejected claims of systematic human rights violations, saying Indonesia’s national institutions actively and seriously handle credible legal and human rights matters.
But speaking at a press conference in Honiara on Friday following his return from the UNGA81 in New York where he presented Solomon Islands National Statement to the assembly of world leaders, Wale said: “We are aware that after the UNGA, countries will have the right of reply so they have exercised that right of reply and responded.”
Wale said Jakarta obviously took note of the concerns that Solomon Islands raised over the historical and ongoing issues in West Papua, adding that if Jakarta is honest, it would be talking about its militarisation of West Papua.
He said there are more military in West Papua and the fact that the indigenous population are now a minority in their own land and that their land has been taken away to make massive plantations which the benefits do not go back to them are matters of genuine concern.
“Imagine if some people not of our own Melanesian race come and do that to us here. You need to put yourselves into their shoes to really understand the gravity of the violations against them.”
The PM said in his address at the UNGA he made the situation in West Papua very clear: “West Papuans are Melanesians living under Indonesian sovereignty.
“We recognise Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua, but the human rights situation is of great concern to us and all of Melanesia.”
For various reasons, Wale said not all Melanesian leaders are able to speak up on the subject, but everyone shares the same concern about how the Melanesians of West Papua are treated and the various atrocities that happen there, reducing the indigenous population to become a minority in their own land.
“It is just not right. It’s a matter of justice. So, we will continue to speak up for West Papua. They are voiceless. So, we must, as their Melanesian brothers and sisters, give our voice to their concerns.
“There’s no politics about it. They are our people. We’ve got to speak out. That was why I spoke out. Many of you will know this has been my personal position. I believe this is the right thing to do.”
The Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Rick Houenipwela who also attended the UNGA81 said Solomon Islands Government has the right to respond to the response by Jakarta but their delegation returned home and left it at that.
The Official Opposition had urged the PM to exercise diplomatic restraint on the issue of West Papua after Jakarta responded to his remarks on the subject.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
3) Police officer ill-treat Uncen student leader during questioning of activists in Jayapura
Human rights analysis
Mr Wialo Silak receiving medical treatment following the attack by a police officer in Jayapura on 30 September 2026
Document ID: HRM-CAS-141-2026
Location: Jl. Ahmad Yani No.17, Gurabesi, Kec. Jayapura Utara, Kota Jayapura, Papua 99222, Indonesia (-2.5427941, 140.7034638) Polresta JAaapura
Region: Indonesia > Papua > Jayapura > North Jayapura
Total number of victims: 5
| # | Number of Victims | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1. | 1 | Wialo Silak | diverse | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | ill-treatment |
| 2. | 4 | male | adult | Indigenous Peoples, Student | freedom of assembly, freedom of expression |
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Police > POLRES
Related Cases:
The ministry’s Director of Referral Healthcare Facilities, Ghotama Airlangga, emphasized in a statement on Saturday that healthcare services should be distributed evenly across Indonesia.
“The Ministry of Health’s future program is to provide equitable healthcare throughout the country, especially in the Papua Highlands region and other parts of Papua,” Airlangga said.
According to him, the ministry is facilitating partnerships between all regional general hospitals in the Papua Highlands and major hospitals across Indonesia to provide treatment for cancer, heart disease, stroke, uronephrology, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, pre-existing diseases (EID), diabetes, gastrohepatology, mental health, and eye diseases.
“We hope that in the future, healthcare services for heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses will no longer need to be referred outside the Papua Highlands and can be handled here,” he said.
Airlangga emphasized that the program is part of efforts to ensure equitable healthcare across Indonesia through a mentoring approach that supports healthcare workers in the Papua Highlands and enables them to manage chronic diseases.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the Governor of the Papua Highlands for this mentoring program, which will help further improve and advance healthcare services in the region,” he continued.
He added that eight regional general hospitals in the Papua Highlands will have their accreditation upgraded from Class D to Class C to support the delivery of optimal healthcare services.
“Class C hospitals generally serve as referral centers for community health centers (Puskesmas). These facilities provide more comprehensive specialist medical services, particularly in the four basic specialties, internal medicine, including cardiology, pediatrics, surgery and obstetrics and gynecology,” he explained.
Related news: Health Ministry strengthens critical care in Highland Papua
Related news: TNI provides free health services to Highland Papua residents
Translator: Yudhi Efendi, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
Jayapura, Jubi – Three of four students from the University of Science and Technology Jayapura (USTJ) arrested by Jayapura City Police have been named suspects.
The four students were arrested while taking part in a protest with other students to mark the 64th anniversary of the Rome Agreement on 30 September 2026.
The Rome Agreement was concluded in Rome, Italy, on 30 September 1962, following the New York Agreement signed on 15 August 1962.
The Rome Agreement, signed by Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States, contained 29 articles under the framework of the New York Agreement.
Articles 14 to 21 addressed self-determination, which was to be based on international practice, including one person, one vote.
Articles 12 and 13 addressed the transfer of administration from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) to Indonesia.
Under the agreement, Indonesia’s claim over Papua was implemented following the transfer of administrative authority over West Papua from the Netherlands to Indonesia through UNTEA on 1 May 1963.
However, the Rome and New York agreements were concluded without any representatives of the Papuan people being involved, despite the agreements concerning the future of the Papuan people.
Reinhart Kmur of the Papua Legal and Human Rights Enforcement Coalition, which is providing legal assistance to the students, said the three students named as suspects were Apniel Jagani, Inios Enembe and Mikael Obaipa.
The fourth student was released after questioning because investigators found no indication that he had committed a criminal offence.
“Representatives of the Papua Legal and Human Rights Enforcement Coalition provided legal assistance to four students who had previously been arrested and detained at the Jayapura City Police detention facility following a protest commemorating the Rome Agreement at the USTJ campus,” Kmur said in an electronic message on Friday (2/10/2026).
He said the four students underwent initial questioning by investigators after being arrested and taken to the Jayapura City Police headquarters.
Following the initial questioning, investigators held a case conference to determine the legal status of each student.
Kmur said Fangky Salak was subsequently questioned as a witness and released after the questioning was completed.
“Meanwhile, Apniel Jagani, Inios Enembe and Mikael Obaipa were named suspects. The three underwent formal questioning by investigators on 1 October 2026, from 3pm to 9.20pm Papua time,” he said.
During the questioning, the three students gave statements to investigators, which were recorded in official examination reports, he said.
Investigators have charged the three students under Articles 192 and 234 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Indonesian Criminal Code.
Article 192 covers the offence of treason involving an intention to separate from Indonesia or place part or all of the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia under foreign control. The offence carries a maximum penalty of death, life imprisonment or imprisonment for up to 20 years.
Article 234 prohibits acts including damaging, tearing, stepping on or burning the national flag with the intention of insulting or degrading the honour of the Indonesian flag. The offence carries a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment or a Category IV fine.
Law No. 1 of 2023 has been in force since 2 January 2026 and was amended by Law No. 1 of 2026.
Earlier, clashes broke out between USTJ students and police officers during a protest marking the 64th anniversary of the Rome Agreement at the USTJ campus in Padang Bulan, Abepura District, Jayapura City, Papua.
During the protest, students raised the Morning Star flag on a flagpole on the campus grounds.
Soon afterwards, Jayapura City Police Chief Fredrickus Maclarimboen arrived at the campus to remove the flag.
When the police chief and officers attempted to take down the flag, students protested, triggering a confrontation.
At the time, Jayapura City Police Chief Commissioner Fredrickus Maclarimboen said police had attempted to negotiate with the students to have the flag lowered.
He said police officers were pelted with stones as they attempted to remove the flag.
“Security personnel responded with tear gas and a water cannon to push the crowd back. So, in fact, the crowd had already prepared for the action,” Maclarimboen said. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – The Jayawijaya chapter of the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI), Cipayung youth and community organisations (OKP), and the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) have described the Rome Agreement, signed in Rome, Italy, on 30 September 1962, as an agreement made by what they called “greedy people”.
Jayawijaya KNPI chairman Hengki Hilapok said his organisation, together with Cipayung OKP and KNPB, rejected the Rome Agreement.
The groups expressed their opposition through a protest held at the KNPB Balim regional secretariat on 30 September 2026, marking the 64th anniversary of the agreement.
“We all reject the Rome Agreement, which was agreed by what we consider to be greedy parties. Unity and solidarity today show that the last line of defence for the Papuan people lies in the movement. Therefore, we will continue to fight for the dignity and rights of Papuan people,” Hilapok said in a video recording after the protest.
Hilapok called on members of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) representing the six provinces in Papua to urge President Prabowo Subianto to allow international journalists and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Papua.
“When Cipayung youth organisations and Papuan people take to the streets, it means Papua is not in a good situation. Therefore, we ask the international community to come to Papua and investigate alleged human rights abuses in the region,” he said.
He also said the groups rejected a Papua Progressive Youth event, which he claimed was organised by individuals pursuing vested interests.
He said Papuan people were not simply demanding access to food and basic necessities, but were calling for an international dialogue facilitated by a neutral party, rather than by those involved in the conflict.
“We thank the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands for raising the issue of the Papuan people. We support countries that speak about us as Papuans, because Indonesia is colonising us today,” he said.
KNPB Central Executive Board deputy chairman Warpo Wetipo said the struggle facilitated by KNPB was a peaceful, non-violent movement.
He said the group was demanding justice, truth, honesty, respect for human dignity and freedom.
“We are demanding the restoration of our sovereign rights, which have been taken away and undermined by the ambitions and greed of colonialism, imperialism, American capitalism and its allies,” Wetipo said.
Wetipo said KNPB would continue to facilitate Papuan communities in demanding what it considers to be their rights, which had been taken away by Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Toli regional chapter of KNPB, together with the West Papua People’s Movement (GRPB), the West Papua Liberation People’s Movement (GR-PWB), and thousands of residents of Tolikara, also held a peaceful protest at the Gospel Monument in Karubaga, Tolikara Regency, Highland Papua, on 30 September 2026.
Toli KNPB secretary Lanny Wanimbo, who was responsible for organising the protest, said the Rome Agreement was connected to the 1969 Act of Free Choice.
The group called on the central government to allow Papuans to determine their own political future through a referendum, which it described as the best solution.
“We are holding a peaceful protest to urge Jakarta to open itself up and give us an opportunity for a referendum, so that the conflict in Papua can end,” Wanimbo said.
Protest coordinator Neky Yigibalom said the Rome Agreement did not involve Papuan representatives as parties with rights over the territory covered by the agreement.
He also questioned the implementation of the Act of Free Choice, saying it did not use a one-person, one-vote mechanism.
“We are protesting the Rome Agreement and the New York Agreement because Papuans were not involved as subjects in those agreements,” Yigibalom said.
Yigibalom called on the United States, the Netherlands and the United Nations to take responsibility and review the decision-making processes associated with the two agreements and the Act of Free Choice.
The Rome and New York agreements have been described by the protesters as the basis for Indonesian military operations in Papua from that period to the present, which they say have resulted in human rights violations.
The Rome Agreement was concluded in Rome, Italy, on 30 September 1962, following the New York Agreement signed on 15 August 1962.
The Rome Agreement, signed by Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States, contained 29 provisions under the framework of the New York Agreement.
Articles 14 to 21 addressed self-determination, which the article says was to be based on international practice, including one person, one vote.
Articles 12 and 13 addressed the transfer of administration from the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) to Indonesia.
Under the agreement, Indonesia’s claim over Papua was implemented following the transfer of administrative authority over West New Guinea from the Netherlands to Indonesia through UNTEA on 1 May 1963.
However, the Rome and New York agreements were concluded without any representatives of the Papuan people being involved, despite the agreements concerning the future of the Papuan population. (*)
