Twelve members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) allegedly tortured and repeatedly raped a 48-year-old Papuan woman in the Beoga District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province, on 13 January 2026. The incident occurred during an ongoing military operation in the Dambet Village. Local reports allege that the perpetrators are stationed at Dambet Military Post.
According to information from local sources, the woman left her home in Meningimte Village earlier that day to travel to Milawak Village, the administrative centre of Beoga District. After purchasing necessities for her children and family, she was intercepted by twelve armed TNI personnel near the Dinimun River.
The soldiers allegedly apprehended her and subsequently tortured the woman at gunpoint. Reports indicate that the military members raped the victim repeatedly, and in turn. The torture reportedly continued until the victim lost consciousness. After the assault, the perpetrators allegedly abandoned their victim at the riverbank and continued walking towards the Dambet Village, where a military operation was taking place.
According to a local source, eyewitnesses were present and observed the incident from a distance. They were afraid to intervene due to the heavy presence of armed soldiers guarding the area. Approaching the scene would have placed the eyewitnesses at imminent risk of being shot. Locals later assisted the unconscious victim and transported her back to her family home in East Beoga District. Due to the absence of accessible health services, the victim reportedly received traditional medical treatment due to a lack of access to professional medical care.
Human rights analysis
The alleged acts amount to serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Rape committed by state agents during a security operation constitutes torture and sexual violence under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Article 9 ICCPR protects individuals from arbitrary arrest and detention. The reported rape and sexual violence by state agents further constitute grave breaches of Articles 1, 2, and 16 of the Convention against Torture (CAT) and Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), engaging the international responsibility of the Indonesian state.
Such acts may amount to a crime against humanity when carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population. HRM understands this incident as part of a broader pattern of human rights violations in West Papua, with arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, and extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of indigenous Papuans frequently taking place. A majority of such cases are reported in the context of prolonged military operations and the non-international armed conflict in West Papua.
Detailed Case Data
Location: Dambet, Beoga, Puncak Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia (-3.7982149, 137.2728413) Dinimun River near the Dambet Village
Region: Indonesia, Central Papua, Puncak, Beoga
Total number of victims: 1
1. Female 48 Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention, sexual assault, torture
Period of incident: 13/01/2026-13/01/2026
Perpetrator: Indonesian Military (TNI)
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and children