Between 1 and 7 October 2025, Mrs Selly Selegani, a Papuan female human rights activist known for her advocacy against the Wabu Block gold mining project in Intan Jaya Regency, was subjected to a series of acts of intimidation, harassment, and physical violence after returning to Jayapura from advocacy activities in Jakarta.
While undertaking meetings with government officials and legislators in Jakarta, she was closely monitored by intelligence officers and restricted from freely communicating with journalists and student networks. After returning to Papua, she continued to face intimidation via telephone and was physically attacked by unidentified men in Jayapura on the evening of 7 October 2025.
Visit to Jakarta
She departed for Jakarta on 1 October 2025 and stayed at the MaxOne Hotel in South Jakarta. On 2 October 2025, Mrs Selegani met with the Minister of Human Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia. The next day, 3 October 2025, she attended a meeting with members of the DPD RI, Mr Yori Raweyai and Ms Eka, followed by another meeting with representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). Throughout her time in Jakarta, Selly experienced a series of restrictions and intimidation. Journalists from CePos Online and Tribun News Nabire who attempted to cover the meetings were prohibited from reporting by unidentified individuals. She was also barred from visiting student dormitories and prevented from meeting members of the DPR team. These prohibitions were reportedly delivered by a person suspected of being an infiltrator within the group.
Mrs Selegani reported that her speaking time during meetings was strictly limited. Participants were forbidden from wearing traditional Papuan clothing, such as sali and koteka, or from carrying noken (traditional net bags) to the meetings, acts that the Papuan advocacy team members perceived as cultural discrimination and a deliberate effort to suppress Papuan identity. On 5 October, Mrs Selegani departed Jakarta for Jayapura, arriving the following day, on 6 October 2025.
Intimidation and assault in Jayapura
Upon her return to Jayapura, the advocacy team split, with some members continuing to Nabire and Makassar. On 7 October 2025, Mrs Selegani held a discussion at a student dormitory in Jayapura to share the outcomes of her advocacy meetings. Shortly after, she began experiencing intimidation and harassment. Her mobile phone started malfunctioning, and she received a suspicious call from an unknown number asking for her location and requesting to "just talk today." The same number later sent a WhatsApp message containing photographs of armed TNI personnel posing with Papuans holding red and white flags, which Selly interpreted as a direct threat related to her work.
That evening, at around 9:00 pm, after meeting friends at Isasai Cafe, Selly was physically attacked on her way home by three men, two Papuans and one non-Papuan, wearing white masks and formal attire. The assailants approached her on motorcycles trying to snatch her bag and phone. During the brawl, one of the perpetrators pushed her into a roadside ditch. Mrs Selgani sustained a bleeding injury on the right shin and big toe (see photos below, source: HRD). In addition, her phone was damaged in the altercation. A passing truck driver and military personnel came to her aid and took her to the Waena Health Centre, where she received first aid treatment.
Later that night, her family advised her to move to Sentani for safety. Around 10:40 pm, Mrs Selegani ordered a Maxim car from Yotefa. Since that incident, she has remained at home in fear, suffering from trauma and avoiding further public appearances or medical check-ups due to safety concerns.
Human rights analysis
The treatment of Mrs Selly Selegani constitutes a clear violation of international human rights norms under the International Covenant on Civil and Political (ICCPR), particularly the right to personal security (Article 9, ICCPR), freedom of expression and association (Article 19, ICCPR), and protection from gender-based violence and discrimination under the Convention for the Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The physical assault, intimidation, and surveillance she endured appear to be acts of reprisal linked to her peaceful advocacy for indigenous land and environmental rights in Intan Jaya's Wabu Block, an area plagued by militarisation and extractive industry interests.
The restriction on cultural expression and intelligence infiltration of civil meetings reflects systemic efforts to suppress Papuan civil society participation and silence indigenous women leaders. These actions undermine Indonesia's obligations under both domestic human rights guarantees and international treaties, including the ICCPR and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998).