Indonesia, West Papua – On 27 September 2025, military members (TNI) of the 123/Rajawali Task Force opened fire on civilians in the town of Agats, Asmat Regency, South Papua Province, following an altercation. Mr Irenius Bawataipot, 21, was fatally shot at close range, while at least four other civilians, including a minor, Erik Yakonias Amiyaram, were injured.
In the aftermath, angry residents carried the body of the victim to the nearby TNI post and set fire to military facilities. TNI personnel reportedly fired indiscriminately into the crowd and deployed a drone-dropped bomb on a civilian settlement, which failed to detonate (see photos below, source: independent HRDs).
Various sources confirmed that the incident began around 08:40 am, when 123/Rajawali Task Force personnel responded to reports of disturbances involving an intoxicated man who had injured two residents with a spear. In the ensuing confrontation, Task Force soldiers opened fire, resulting in the death of Mr Irenius Bawataipot. He sustained a lethal bullet wound on the head (lethalsee photos below, source: independent HRD).
His body was carried by the community to a TNI post in protest, sparking anger and a violent confrontation. Residents attacked and set fire to at least two TNI posts (BLK Post and Mandala Post) and damaged public facilities. In response, joint security force personnel fired indiscriminately at the crowd, injuring multiple civilians, including minor Erik Yakonias Amiyaram, who sustained a gunshot wound to the left thigh. Drone-based munitions were also deployed, though one bomb reportedly did not explode.
The Asmat Regent, Mr Thomas Eppe Safanpo, publicly condemned the killing and called for the prosecution of the perpetrators under military law, stressing that Asmat is not a conflict area and demanding an evaluation of the TNI's deployment in the region. Civil society actors, including the student groups, strongly denounced the incident as a serious violation of Indonesian criminal law (Article 338 of the Criminal Code on intentional killing) and the TNI's own mandate under Law No. 34/2004 on the TNI.
Human rights analysis
This incident constitutes a violation of the right to life (Article 6, ICCPR), the prohibition of arbitrary killings, and the protection of civilians under both domestic and international law. While one of the victims was allegedly intoxicated and holding a weapon, the shooting of four unarmed civilians and the use of heavy weaponry, including drone-dropped explosives, in a civilian-populated area, amount to excessive use of force and potentially indiscriminate attacks. The injury of a child further breaches Indonesia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Law No. 23/2002 on Child Protection.
The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990) stipulate that law enforcement officers may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty, and that lethal force may only be used as a last resort to protect life. The killing of Irenius Bawataipot, the indiscriminate firing on civilians, and the dropping of a bomb on a residential settlement starkly contravene these principles, representing a disproportionate and unlawful use of force.