On 6 October 2026, Mr Petrus Gobai was taken into police custody in Nabire Town, Nabire Regency, Central Papua province, and subsequently held at the Nabire District Police headquarters for more than 30 hours. According to Mr Gobai, police officers beat him during detention and forced him to remove his clothes. He was later released later wearing only his underwear. His family further alleged that several of his personal belongings were not returned. The Nabire District Police have disputed key elements of this account, denying that police officers assaulted Gobai and stating that he left the police station wearing shorts rather than underwear.

According to the family's account, Mr Gobai had been travelling by motorcycle on the night of 6 October when the vehicle ran out of petrol near the Koteka Monument, close to the Nabire District Police compound. He reportedly approached police officers for assistance around 11:00 pm but was instead taken into custody. His family alleges that he was beaten, stripped of his clothes and held for 32 hours without food before being released shortly before the morning roll call.

The family subsequently reported visible injuries, including scratches to his temple, bruising to his head and spine, and minor injuries to his hands and fingers. The family began contacting the Nabire District Police on 8 October to obtain information about the incident and the whereabouts of Gobai's belongings.

The Nabire District Police have provided a substantially different account. Deputy Chief Kompol Henri Alfredo Korwa stated that Nabire District Police officers who were conducting patrols took him into custody following reports that a young man was consuming alcohol near the park in front of the Central Papua Provincial Parliament building. Police stated that Mr Gobai was subsequently transferred to the Nabire District Police because he remained intoxicated and was released in the morning of 8 October 2026. The police denied that violence occurred during his detention and rejected the allegation that he had been released wearing only underwear, maintaining that he was wearing shorts.

On 9 October 2026, Mr Gobai officially filed a complaint regarding the incident to the Professional Standards Unit (Propam) of the Central Papua Regional Police. On 10 October, accompanied by members of his family and with legal assistance from the Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Papua), Mr Gobai also lodged a police report through the Integrated Police Service Centre (SPKT) of the Central Papua Regional Police for a criminal investigation (see photo on top, Source LBH Papua). The family has demanded clarification regarding the legal basis for Gobai's apprehension and detention, the identity and responsibility of the officers involved, the alleged beating and removal of his clothing, the alleged failure to provide him with food, and the circumstances in which he was released. They have also demanded the return of his clothing, wallet, and the motorcycle which police officers seized during detention.

Human rights and legal analysis

Indonesia's Criminal Procedure Code under Law No. 20 of 2025, which has been in force since 2 January 2026, provides that an arrest may last no longer than 1 x 24 hours. Continued deprivation of liberty beyond the arrest period requires lawful detention in accordance with the separate statutory requirements governing detention. Investigators may order detention for longer periods where the substantive and procedural conditions prescribed by law are satisfied.

If Mr Petrus Gobai was kept at the police detention facility for approximately 32 hours without being informed of an alleged criminal offence or without the necessary arrest and detention documentation, this would raise serious questions regarding compliance with domestic criminal procedure and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects individuals against arbitrary arrest and detention. The authorities should therefore disclose the precise legal status under which Mr Gobai was held, the grounds for any arrest or detention, the relevant warrants or detention orders, and the officers or units exercising custody over him.

The allegations concerning beating, forced stripping, deprivation of food and release in a state of undress engage the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under Article 7 ICCPR, as well as the requirement under Article 10(1) ICCPR that all persons deprived of their liberty be treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity. Indonesia is also a State party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which it ratified through Law No. 5 of 1998. Forced stripping, physical assault or deliberate deprivation of basic necessities may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment depending on the circumstances. The reported injuries should therefore be documented promptly through an independent medical examination for further forensic purposes.

Detailed case data

Document ID: HRM-CAS-148-2026
Location: Nabire, Nabire Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia (-3.3722254, 135.5016253)
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Nabire > Nabire
Total number of victims: 1
1. Petrus Gobai, male adult Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention, ill-treatment
Period of incident: 06/10/2026-08/10/2026

Source: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/suspect-allegedly-beaten-during-police-custody-in-nabire