Indonesia, West Papua – On 12-13 June 2025, a coalition of NGOs has officially filed the extra-judicial execution and mutilation of Mr Abral Wandikbo, a 27-year-old indigenous farmer from Yuguru Village in Nduga Regency, to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) (see video below, source: CSO Coalition), the Military Police (MP), and the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) in an attempt to seek justice through formal channels.
The case has gained momentum following the submission of detailed evidence documenting Mr Wandikbo's arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial execution by Indonesian military (TNI) personnel between 22-25 March 2025. The coalition presented a report arguing that Mr Wandikbo was arrested based solely on an unclear photograph showing a Papuan man holding a weapon. Military Police Colonel Jefri B Purba confirmed receiving the reports and stated that investigations are currently underway, marking a crucial step toward accountability.
The civil society coalition has presented six key demands that extend beyond individual accountability to address systemic issues in West Papua. These include classifying the case as a gross human rights violation requiring a pro justitia investigation under Law No. 26/2000, ensuring perpetrators face trial in civilian rather than military courts, and ending the militaristic approach to conflict resolution that has displaced tens of thousands of indigenous Papuans. The coalition also demands full media and humanitarian access to West Papua, compensation for affected families, and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, including schools and health centers that were destroyed by military personnel.
This case emerges amid recent aggravation of armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and armed guerilla groups in the Papuan highlands that have threatened the security of the largely Indigenous population, with extrajudicial killings surging since 2019, peaking at 17 cases in both 2023 and 2024. The legal proceedings surrounding Wandikbo's death represent a critical test of Indonesia's commitment to human rights accountability in West Papua, particularly given the international attention the case has attracted through organizations like Amnesty International.