The Indonesian military has arrested 13 elite troops after a video showing the torture of an indigenous Papua man emerged on social media. The video depicts men who appear to be soldiers kicking, beating, and dunking the man in a barrel of water. The incident took place at a post for the border security task force in Puncak, a district of Central Papua province, on February 3. Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi called the incident a violation of the law, stating that the military does not condone violence in obtaining information. The suspects have been detained at the military police’s maximum security detention center in West Java for further investigation.
According to Papua Military Chief Maj. Gen. Izak Pangemanan, the abuse of the indigenous man began after a shootout between security forces and separatist rebels suspected of burning a public health facility in Omukia village, near a military post. Security forces arrested three men, one of whom died after jumping from a moving vehicle with his hands tied behind his back. Another man, identified as Definus Kogoya, attempted to escape and was subsequently tortured at a military post in Gome in an attempt to locate other suspects. Kogoya has since received medical treatment and been returned to local police custody.
The video of the torture has elicited widespread condemnation in Indonesia and from human rights activists. Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, described the incident as cruel torture that undermines the concept of justice. Conflict between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces is common in the impoverished Papua region, which has been the site of a low-level insurgency since its incorporation into Indonesia in 1969. Tensions have escalated in the past year, resulting in numerous 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, accused the Indonesian military and police of being barbaric and called on the United Nations to intervene. The Papua region, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea, is ethnically and culturally distinct from the rest of Indonesia. The incorporation of Papua into Indonesia in 1969 following a controversial UN-sponsored ballot has been a point of contention, with ongoing calls for independence from separatist groups. The recent escalation in conflict highlights the complex and longstanding issues in the region.
The Indonesian military’s response to the torture incident will be closely monitored, both domestically and internationally. Calls for accountability and justice for the indigenous Papuans subjected to violence and abuse will likely grow louder in the coming days. The government and military will face pressure to address the systemic issues that have led to such incidents and work towards a more peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Papua region. The international community, particularly the UN, may play a role in facilitating dialogue and reconciliation between the various stakeholders involved in the protracted conflict.
