On 10 June 2026, members of the Habema Police Task Force and Marine Corps personnel arbitrarily detained four Papuan civilians at a security checkpoint on Seradala Road, Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands Province. During their detention, Mr Beicham Jakson Orpan, 27, was allegedly subjected to torture (see photo on top, source: independent HRDs) aimed at forcing him to confess to being affiliated with the TPNPB. Following pressure from community representatives directed to the Yahukimo Police, all four detainees were released on 11 June 2026, at approximately 2:30 pm.
According to the information received from local sources, three Strada vehicles were being prepared at Base 88 to transport passengers to the Kakatua Hitam 88 gold mining area on 10 June 2026. At approximately 09:30 am, passengers boarded the vehicles carrying fuel, food supplies and work equipment. At approximately 10:50 am, one of the vehicles, driven by Mr Sapius Ou, 25, and carrying several passengers, was stopped by members of the Habema Task Force and Marine personnel at the Seradala Road checkpoint. The officers reportedly stated that they had received intelligence information indicating that members of the TPNPB Yallenang Battalion were travelling in the vehicle.
All passengers were ordered to leave the vehicle, raise their hands and kneel whilst the officers searched their belongings and inspected the vehicle. Three passengers and the driver were detained. Two other female passengers were allowed to leave the scene. The detainees' faces were reportedly covered with duct tape whilst they remained kneeling with their hands raised. Mr Orpan was allegedly separated from the others and taken by vehicle to a nearby riverbank, where Marine personnel beat him repeatedly.
Afterwards, Mr Orpan was returned to the Seradala checkpoint. Despite reportedly experiencing dizziness and losing consciousness, Marine personnel allegedly electrocuted him and proceeded to beat him again using a wooden plank to the back. The torture allegedly continued with officers placing a snake around Mr Orpan's neck, causing difficulty breathing as it constricted his throat. The officers also threatened to submerge him in boiling water whilst demanding that he confess to being a member of the TPNPB Yallenang Battalion. Unable to withstand the physical abuse and psychological pressure, Mr Orpan allegedly admitted to the accusation, which upon the security personnel ceased the torture.
Mr Beicham Jakson Orpan, Mr Sapius Ou, sixteen-year-old Alpini Soll, and Mr Ober Magayang, 25, were detained throughout the night. Following interventions and pressure by local community representatives and relatives directed at the Yahukimo Police, all four detainees were released on 11 June 2026, at approximately 2:30 pm. At the time of writing, The HABEMA Task Force, the Marine Corps or the Yahukimo Police have not issed an official statement concerning the arrests or the allegations of torture.
Human rights analysis
Based on the information from various sources, the alleged detention of Mr Beicham Jakson Orpan, Mr Sapius Ou, Alpini Soll, and Mr Ober Magayang, appears to have been carried out without the presentation of an arrest warrant or indication that the procedural safeguards under Indonesia's Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) require. Such conduct may constitute arbitrary detention contrary to Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a State Party.
The treatment allegedly inflicted upon Mr Orpan, including severe beatings, electric shocks, suffocation techniques involving a snake, threats of drowning and coercion to obtain a confession, would amount to torture or, at a minimum, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment prohibited under Article 7 ICCPR and Articles 1, 2 and 15 of the Convention against Torture (CAT). Any confession obtained through torture must be considered inadmissible in legal proceedings.
The detention of Alpini Soll, a 16-year-old girl, further raises concerns under Articles 37(a) and 37(b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibit torture and arbitrary deprivation of liberty of children and require that detention of children be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-076-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 4
1. Beicham Jakson Orpan, male 27 Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention, torture
2. Sapius Ou, male 25 Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention, ill-treatment
3. Ober Magayang, male 25 Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention, ill-treatment
4. Alpini Soll, male 16 Indigenous Peoples, Student arbitrary detention, ill-treatment
Period of incident: 10/06/2026-11/06/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Perpetrator details: Habema Police Task Force and Marine Corps personnel
Issues: indigenous peoples, security force violence, women and children
Sources: Suara Papua