Thirteen elite troops in Indonesia have been arrested for their involvement in a video showing the torture of an indigenous Papua man suspected of being a member of a separatist group. The video, which circulated on social media, depicts men who appear to be soldiers kicking, beating, and dunking the man in a barrel of water. The incident took place at a border security post in the mountainous Puncak district of Central Papua province on February 3. The suspects have been detained at a maximum-security detention center for further investigation.
The abuse in the video allegedly started after a shootout between security forces and separatist rebels suspected of burning a public health facility in Omukia village. Following the shootout, security forces arrested three men, one of whom died after jumping from a car with his hands tied behind his back. The man seen in the video, identified as Definus Kogoya, attempted to escape and was subsequently captured and tortured at a military post in Gome in an attempt to extract information on the whereabouts of other rebels. Kogoya has since received medical treatment and been returned to local police custody.
The release of the video has sparked outrage in Indonesia and among rights activists. Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, condemned the incident as “cruel torture” that undermines the concept of justice. He criticized statements made by military and government officials in the Papua region regarding their humane approach, suggesting that such claims have little meaning in light of the recent events. The conflict between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces in the impoverished region has been ongoing, fueled in part by Papua’s distinct cultural and ethnic identity.
The province of Papua, a former Dutch colony located in the western part of New Guinea, has experienced continued tensions since its incorporation into Indonesia in 1969. A U.N.-sponsored ballot during that time, widely viewed as flawed, resulted in Papua becoming a part of Indonesia. The region is rich in minerals and has been at the center of a low-level insurgency for many years. Over the past year, the conflict in Papua has intensified, leading to increased casualties among rebels, security forces, and civilians.
Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the West Papua Liberation Army, the military wing of the pro-independence Free Papua Organization, has called for action from the United Nations in response to the video. Sambom labeled the actions of the Indonesian military and police as “barbaric,” emphasizing the need for international intervention. The situation in Papua illustrates the ongoing challenges faced by the region, where tensions between indigenous groups and Indonesian authorities continue to escalate, resulting in violence and human rights abuses. The arrests of the soldiers responsible for the torture video highlight the need for accountability and justice in addressing the long-standing conflict in Papua.
