Indonesia, West Papua – On 4 June 2025, members of the Malamoi Indigenous Community – including individuals from the Masinau, Motowol, Sawat, Klafiyu, and Klawen clans, along with residents of Ninjomor and Klasari villages – initiated a road blockade in Sorong Regency, Papua Barat Daya (see photo on top, source: Jubi).
The protest targeted the entrance to the office and factory of the palm oil corporation PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ). The community had blocked the road in response to the arbitrary arrest and subsequent detention of 11 indigenous community members on 8 May 2025. The police pressed charges against them on 10 May under allegations of misappropriating company-owned diesel fuel. Among the detained is 40-year-old Oktovianus Masinau, a recognised traditional landowner.
On 8 May 2025, eleven indigenous residents were arrested on accusations of selling diesel fuel allegedly belonging to PT IKSJ (see table below, source: Jubi). They were detained two days later without due clarification or legal transparency. PT IKSJ claims that an internal audit revealed a Rp 200 million loss due to fuel mismanagement. Despite this, no official documentation or legal proceedings clarifying the evidence or process of arrest have been made public. Protesting against the arbitrary arrests, the community erected a blockade on 4 June 2025 and demanded state intervention, specifically requesting the presence of government representatives from Jakarta rather than low-level corporate emissaries.
Systematic criminalisation of indigenous peoples in Indonesia
This incident must be contextualised within a broader national pattern of repression and criminalisation of indigenous peoples across Indonesia. In a report presented to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Dr Albert K. Barume, by the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), it was clearly stated that the persecution of indigenous leaders is not incidental but part of a deliberate and systematic strategy. According to AMAN's Secretary-General, Mr Rukka Sombolinggi, the state, in collaboration with private corporate interests, has developed a structural pattern of targeting indigenous leaders in order to paralyse community resistance. Criminalisation is employed as a political and symbolic tool to silence the cultural and spiritual backbone of indigenous communities.
Testimonies from AMAN representatives across Indonesia illustrate that intimidation, surveillance, and legal harassment are widespread tactics used to displace indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands under the guise of investment, conservation, or public order. From Papua to North Maluku and South Kalimantan, indigenous defenders have been arrested, threatened, and forced into exile. These acts constitute serious violations of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly Article 8 (protection from forced assimilation and destruction of culture) and Article 18 (participation in decision-making). The consistent targeting of indigenous figures like Oktovianus Masinau in Papua Barat Daya Province reflects a broader state-enabled pattern of repression that demands urgent international scrutiny.
Demands and call to action
The Malamoi community has made several urgent demands:
- The immediate release of all 11 detained individuals.
- Transparent legal review of PT IKSJ's claims and actions.
- Direct engagement by central government authorities with indigenous representatives.
- Respect and recognition of customary land rights in line with national and international law.
Human rights organisations, legal observers, and UN Special Rapporteurs are urged to monitor the case and advocate for the protection of indigenous rights in West Papua. The pattern of criminalisation and land dispossession in West Papua is symptomatic of broader systemic discrimination, and urgent state accountability is needed to prevent further harm.
Table of indigenous community members arrested on 10 May 2025
1. Oktovianus Masinau, 40
2. Libert, 35
3. Host, 27
4. Marianus, 33
5. Aldi, 24
6. Galu, 25
7. Maikel Haris, 25
8. Agus Olla, N/A
9. Maksi, 31
10. Rivaldi, 27
11. Gerson, 30