Indonesia, West Papua – This 10-page document outlines cases and developments, including human rights violations and their patterns, the escalation of armed conflict and its impact on civilians, significant political shifts in Indonesia affecting West Papua, and international responses and initiatives. It covers the period from 1 October to 31 December 2025.
The human rights situation in West Papua between October and December 2025 was characterised by an increase in victims of human rights violations. This surge is linked to the rapid expansion of large-scale government-driven economic development projects and the military operations deployed to secure them. These projects primarily affect small indigenous communities, often inhabited by several hundred people.
The pace of development is likely to accelerate further as the government establishes new military battalions across the region. Some of these are Territorial Development Infantry Battalion units. They have been deployed to support projects of food security, infrastructure development, public health, and economic empowerment in West Papua. Such new battalions have recently been established in Biak-Numfor, Supiroi, and Waropen.
Whilst the number of cases during the reporting period slightly decreased compared to previous quarters, the pattern of violations remained consistent. The extraordinarily high number of victims of extrajudicial executions and ill-treatment, combined with the recurrence of enforced disappearances, is directly linked to military operations that fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants. Such tactics reportedly included airstrikes, battle drones and victim-activated explosive devices in or near civilian areas (see Conflict section).
In October 2025, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) expressed deep concerns regarding a proposed revision to Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. Human rights observers warn that the revision is part of a systematic effort to weaken Indonesia's primary independent human rights institution.
Various court proceedings raised the attention of human rights observers and civil society. On 28 October, a panel of judges at the Wamena District Court sentenced four Indonesian police officers for their roles in the fatal shooting of Mr Tobias Silak and the serious injury of Naro Dapla in Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, in 2024. The primary defendant, Chief Brigadier Muhammad Kurniawan Kudu of the Gorontalo Police Mobile Brigade, was convicted under Article 338 of the Indonesian Criminal Code for murder and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. Three other defendants were sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment. The verdict marked a victory in the ongoing battle against impunity. However, the prolonged failure to resolve the Jubi Molotov attack case despite incriminating evidence is exemplary of the persistent impunity in the Indonesian justice system. Authorities have failed to make arrests or identify suspects after twelve months of investigation.
In November 2025, judges at the Makassar District Court in Makassar City in South Sulawesi Province sentenced four Papuan political prisoners from Sorong City to seven months' imprisonment. The four activists were convicted under Article 106 of the Indonesian Criminal Code on treason for taking part in a plan to "separate a part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia". The verdict came after months of proceedings marked by the transfer of the trial from Sorong to Makassar, delays, and reports of intimidation of families and supporters.
Conflict
The Indonesian government's militarised approach to conflict resolution and economic development in West Papua has reached alarming levels, triggering widespread internal displacement, human rights violations, and growing civil society resistance. Between late October and early November 2025, Papuans in the towns of Nabire, Enarotali, Sugapa, and Jayapura went to the streets to protest against the central Government's approach to settling the longstanding conflict in West Papua. Indigenous people in the remote central highlands are increasingly exposed to a growing military presence and ongoing counterinsurgency operations. As of 1 January 2026, more than 105,878 civilians across multiple regencies have been internally displaced due to military operations and armed conflict.
A December 2025 report by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) with the title "Papua in the Grip of Military Operations" provides an overview of the military deployments and expansion of military infrastructure in the region. In Intan Jaya Regency alone, approximately 23 non-organic (temporary) military posts were built in September as troops took control of villages. This resulted in the total paralysis of 52 out of 59 educational facilities. Six health facilities, including hospitals and health centres, have ceased functioning. Furthermore, 62 civilian killings by Indonesian military personnel have been documented. The local indigenous population and human rights observers are concerned that the extensive military presence in Intan Jaya serves the purpose of securing the gold-rich Wabu Block mining concession covering approximately 1.18 million hectares.
In October 2025, clashes between security forces and the TPNPB in Intan Jaya Regency resulted in contested casualty figures, with the military claiming 14 fighters killed while the TPNPB reported 12 civilian and three fighter deaths. In a separate incident in Intan Jaya on 25 November 2025, a military drone dropped an explosive onto a civilian house, killing a 17-year-old senior high school student and leaving another civilian injured. In late December, a forty-year-old Papuan civilian suffered fatal blast injuries after allegedly stepping on a victim-activated explosive device placed on a civilian path used for daily movement between gardens and homes in the Jalan Gunung area of Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency
HRM documented 41 armed attacks and clashes throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, significantly higher than the 29 clashes recorded in the third quarter. The majority of armed hostilities between October and December 2025 occurred in Yahukimo, with 15 armed clashes and attacks documented during the reporting period. Armed hostilities were also documented from the regencies of Intan Jaya, Pegunungan Bintang, Nduga, and Mimika. Isolated incidents of armed violence occurred in the regencies of Teluk Bintuni, Maybrat, Nabire, and Dogiyai.
HRM counted eight civilians killed and six injured by the TPNPB. Meanwhile, 15 civilians were killed, and 8 were wounded by security force members during armed clashes or counter-insurgency operations. Concerning the combatants, 15 security force members were killed, and 15 were injured during this period. In contrast, the TPNPB reportedly lost 11 combatants, with 4 guerrilla fighters being injured during armed clashes.
Political developments
The government faced mounting criticism over its approach to West Papua, where lethal military operations continue despite growing civil society opposition. Residents held demonstrations across multiple Papuan cities in late October and early November, denouncing military expansion in the central highlands and alleging extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Despite widespread civil society rejection, President Prabowo pushed forward with development plans, hosting provincial leaders in December to call for accelerated development across all sectors. He announced plans to expand palm oil plantations across West Papua as part of a broader strategy to achieve energy self-sufficiency within five years. Prabowo declared that palm oil, along with sugar cane and cassava, would be cultivated to produce biofuels and ethanol, potentially saving Indonesia hundreds of trillions of rupiah in fuel imports. In response to the announcement, civil society groups and indigenous landrights holders from Merauke launched a peaceful protest against the Merauke Sugarcane National Strategic Project in Jakarta on 18 December 2025.
Various developments in the legal sector in October and November 2025 raise growing concerns regarding civilian oversight and extensive powers of the police and military. Indonesia's Constitutional Court has issued a landmark ruling prohibiting active police officers from holding civilian government positions. Still, the implementation of the decision has sparked controversial discussions as thousands of police officers remain in posts across ministries and state agencies. In October, Indonesia's Constitutional Court rejected formal review petitions challenging Law No. 3/2025 on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), ruling that the legislative process did not violate the 1945 Constitution despite procedural controversies and widespread criticism from civil society.
In November, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) unanimously passed the revision of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) into Law. A coalition of legal aid organisations and human rights defenders warns that the new KUHAP officially opens the door to a police state, legitimising arbitrary detention, invasive surveillance, and unchecked investigative powers. A fierce national debate on historical memory and justice arose after President Prabowo Subianto officially bestowed the title of National Hero upon Indonesia's second president, General Suharto, during a ceremony at the State Palace. While many Indonesians condemn Suharto for being responsible for numerous gross human rights violations, a significant demographic views the New Order era with nostalgia.
International developments
Between October and December 2025, the Indonesian government under President Prabowo Subianto pursued an active foreign policy focused on strengthening defence ties. Indonesia convened its first trilateral defence ministers' meeting with Australia and Papua New Guinea in early December, during which Papua New Guinea raised concerns about the West Papua conflict potentially spilling across its border and proposed a 10 km buffer zone. President Prabowo also met with Russian President Putin in Moscow to discuss military cooperation, nuclear energy, and wheat exports, while Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced the purchase of at least 42 Chinese-made fighter jets.
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