On 20 August 2025, at 5:55 pm, Mr Jemi Mirip, Mr Botanus Agimbau, Mr Meinus Mirip, Mr Yupinus Weya, Mr Melianus Mirip, and Mr Seprianus Weya were arrested by Damai Cartenz Police Task Force members in the Topo Village, Uwapa District, Nabire Regency, Central Papua Province.
The six internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Intan Jaya fled from Sugapa District following years of intensified military operations between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Upon their arrest, the IDPs were accused of being TPNPB members solely based on their physical appearance because some among them had dreadlocks and beards. Security forces reportedly interpreted their appearance as indicators of affiliation with the TPNPB.
According to the information received from local informants, the six individuals were civilians. Following the arrests, the TPNPB released a statement, condemning the arrests as baseless and discriminatory. The group denied that any of the arrestees had been affiliated with TPNBP. In contrast, the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force claimed that Seprianus Weya was a member of the TPNPB's "media division" involved in documenting the 13 August 2025 shooting of two Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members at KM 128, Siriwo District, Nabire. Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, head of the Damai Cartenz Task Force, stated that Weya's arrest was supported by evidence, including a video allegedly linking him to the TPNPB group led by Aibon Kogoya. The Task Force confirmed that five other individuals were detained and their personal items, such as phones, net bags, and jackets confiscated during the arrest.
Human rights analysis
From a human rights perspective, this case illustrates the persistent pattern of arbitrary arrests and ethnic profiling by Indonesian security forces in West Papua. The arrests of at least five of the arrested individuals contravene Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to liberty and security of a person and prohibits arbitrary detention. Furthermore, the presumption of guilt based on cultural characteristics violates the principles of non-discrimination under Article 2 of the ICCPR and Article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). The criminalisation of Papuan civilians for their appearance also reflects broader systemic racism and institutional bias within Indonesia's security apparatus.
The arrest of a schoolteacher and displaced civilians also raises serious concerns under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which affirm that displaced persons retain all human rights and are entitled to protection against arbitrary arrest or detention. The use of armed force against unarmed IDPs represents a grave breach of these principles. It demonstrates a failure of the state to distinguish between combatants and civilians in conflict zones, perpetuating cycles of violence, distrust, and systemic injustice against indigenous Papuans.