On 15 June 2026, an 18-year-old student named Yustinus Yalak reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to his right thigh (see photo on top, source: independent HRD) during an alleged military operation in Dekai Town, Yahukimo Regency. The incident reportedly occurred at approximately 5:30 pm whilst the victim, a civilian and active student at SMAN 1 Dekai, was walking home in the Kali Biru area. Residents reportedly evacuated the injured student to a hospital after finding him unable to walk. At the time of writing, Indonesian authorities had not issued an official explanation regarding the circumstances of the shooting. Prior to the incident, joint security forces had patrolled the Kali Biru area, allegedly burning a residential house to the ground on 12 July 2026
According to second-hand information received from local media and informants, security forces had allegedly been conducting operations in the Kali Biru area since the evening of 12 June 2026, moving on foot from the direction of the local Military District Command (Kodim). Residents later reported discovering more than 50 spent bullet casings and two live rounds near Samaro Road (see photos below, source: independent HRD). Separate accounts alleged that three civilians from the Sela Valley encountered the patrol whilst fishing in the Kali Biru area and came under gunfire without prior warning or questioning. Two of them were reportedly apprehended, whilst the whereabouts of a third person remained unknown. Their identities are yet to be verified. Witnesses further stated that bullets struck residential houses in the Samaro Hamlet, exacerbating fear amongst local communities.
Additional reports indicated that on the night of 12 June 2026, a civilian house in Kali Biru was allegedly set on fire by joint security forces (see video below, source: independent HRD). According to local accounts, educational documents, including school diplomas and report cards, as well as household belongings and pets, were destroyed in the fire.
The reported shooting occurred against a broader backdrop of increasing insecurity affecting civilians in Yahukimo Regency. The insecurity stems from an intensification of armed conflict in Yahukimo, but also from a pattern of arbitrary detentions by joint security forces in Yahukimo, often accompanied by ill-treatments and torture.
Human rights analysis
If confirmed, the shooting of Yustinus Yalak and the reported use of force against civilians would raise serious concerns under international human rights law. The right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights obliges states to ensure that any use of potentially lethal force is strictly necessary and proportionate. The reported arbitrary apprehension of civilians may engage protections under Article 9 ICCPR, whilst the destruction of civilian property may interfere with the right to privacy, family life and home under Article 17 ICCPR.
The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials require authorities to minimise harm and protect human life during security operations. According to Paragraph 9, law enforcement officials shall not use firearms against persons except in self-defence or defence of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life, to arrest a person presenting such a danger and resisting their authority, or to prevent his or her escape, and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-077-2026
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 4
1. 1, Yustinus Yalak, male 18 Indigenous Peoples, Student ill-treatment
2. 3, unknown unknown Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention
Period of incident: 12/06/2026-15/06/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces
Issues: indigenous peoples