Indonesia, West Papua – The Papuan Foundation for Justice and Human Integrity (YKKMP) has reported further human rights abuses during a military raid in the Tanga District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, on 13 June 2025.
Military members (TNI) reportedly took positions in the early morning hours, at approximately 03:00 am. The operation targeted members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) who were believed to hide among the indigenous residents. During the operation, two Indigenous Papuan civilians, Orgen Elopore, 17, and Mr Sisa Yelemaken, 25, were arrested and detained without a warrant. The soldiers allegedly detained the two villagers because they were wearing Morning Star symbols on their bracelet and T-shirt.
Orgen and Mr Yalemaken were forcibly taken on foot by the military post at the Ongolo Mountain. According to family testimonies, both detainees were tortured during their detention. Orgen Elopore was repeatedly punched by military personnel. He sustained facial swelling and bruises on the shins and forehead, while Mr Sisa Yelemaken was struck in the lower back. In the afternoon of 16 June 2025, Orgen and Mr Yelemaken were released after being detained incommunicado for three days.
On 15 June 2025, a three-hour firefight occurred between the TNI and the TPNPB in the villages Aruli and Yeleas in the Tangma District. Witness reports indicate that the TNI gunfire was indiscriminate and uncontrolled. The clash, taking place from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, resulted in the death of one elderly indigenous civilian named Mr Mesak Asipalek (see photo on top, source: YKKMP). He sustained a lethal shot to the head while standing outside his house in Aruli. Mr Asipalek attempted to flee as he was fatally shot. A TPNPB member was also shot dead during the same clash. Following the raid, about 700 Indigenous villagers from Tangma fled their homes in fear of further clashes and raids.
It is recommended that an immediate, impartial, and independent investigation be conducted into the arbitrary arrest, detention, and alleged ill-treatment of Orgen Elopore and Sisa Yelemaken, alongside a thorough inquiry into the extrajudicial killing of Mesak Asipalek, ensuring full accountability, including the prosecution of responsible military personnel. Victims and their families must be granted access to justice, including reparations and adequate medical support. The Indonesian authorities must cease the discriminatory targeting of Papuan civilians for peacefully expressing political or cultural identity through symbols such as the Morning Star. Furthermore, international human rights monitoring in West Papua must be strengthened, including urgent access for relevant UN Special Procedures. Particular attention must also be paid to the protection of minors in conflict-affected areas, ensuring full adherence to international child protection obligations.
Human rights organisations demand an immediate, impartial, and independent investigation into the arbitrary arrest, detention, and alleged ill-treatment of Orgen Elopore and Mr Sisa Yelemaken, alongside a thorough inquiry into the extrajudicial killing of Mr Mesak Asipalek, ensuring full accountability, including the prosecution of responsible military personnel. Victims and their families must be granted access to justice, including reparations and adequate medical support. The Indonesian authorities must cease the discriminatory targeting of Papuan civilians for peacefully expressing political or cultural identity through symbols such as the Morning Star.
Legal analysis
The incidents demonstrate a continued pattern of use of arbitrary detention, torture, as well as other forms of excessive and indiscriminate force against indigenous Papuans by the Indonesian military in conflict areas of West Papua. Many raids fail to discriminate between combatants and civilians, violating not only international human rights but also humanitarian law.
Arbitrary detentions of this pattern violate Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as no legal grounds or due process were provided for the arrests. The acts of torture are prohibited under Article 7 ICCPR and the Convention Against Torture (CAT). The fatal shooting of Mesak Asipalek on 15 June 2025 raises grave concerns of an extrajudicial execution and disproportionate use of force, infringing on the right to life under Article 6 ICCPR. The witness reports of indiscriminate shooting point to a failure to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, as required under international humanitarian law, particularly Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
Table of victims during the security force raid in Tangma between 13 and 15 June 2025 (see original document)