On 19 September 2025, at approximately 10:00 am, an incident of physical violence occurred in the courtyard of PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera, a palm oil company located in Klasof Village, Moisegen District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua Province.
The victim, identified as Mr Martinus Acon Masinau, 30, an Indigenous man of the Moi Segen sub-tribe, was severely beaten by three members of the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) at the company premises. The assault took place when Mr Masinau protested against the company management after having submitted a job application one month before the incident. The beating resulted in serious injuries (see photos below, source: independent HRD). Thereupon, Mr Masinau was admitted to a local health centre (Puskesmas) before being referred to a Hospital at Kilo 22 around 4:00 pm for further medical treatment.
In response to the assault, members of the Moi Segen Indigenous community and youth students launched a blockade at the offices and factory of PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera on 20 September 2025, at 10:15 am. The action was a spontaneous protest demanding accountability from the company and justice for the assault on Mr Masinau. The demonstrators called for (1) the prosecution of the Brimob perpetrators, (2) corporate responsibility for the violence, and (3) the protection of Indigenous rights within the company's palm oil operations. Reports indicate that the blockade followed widespread outrage in the community over the criminalisation and marginalisation of Indigenous peoples in the area.
The Aimas Police and Southwest Papua Regional Police reportedly arrested the three Brimob officers involved in the attack shortly after the incident, following public pressure and documentation by Papua Pos Sorong Legal Aid Institute, which received the initial complaint from the Moi Segen community. The case has intensified scrutiny of PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera, which has previously been accused of environmental destruction and violating Indigenous land rights through its oil palm plantation activities.
Human rights analysis
The assault on Mr Martinus Acon Masinau violates the right to physical integrity and freedom from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, as protected under Article 2 of the International Convention Against Torture (CAT) and Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a State Party. The use of violence by state security forces (Brimob) in response to a peaceful grievance represents an abuse of power and a failure to uphold the principles of proportionality and necessity in the use of force.
Furthermore, this case underscores systemic patterns of intimidation and criminalisation against Indigenous Papuans defending their rights in the context of extractive and plantation industries. The involvement of security forces in private corporate interests contradicts international human rights standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which require both state and corporate actors to prevent, mitigate, and remedy human rights abuses arising from business operations.