Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Samoa deliver joint statement on the situation of human rights defenders in West Papua

The Pacific state of Vanuatu, in cooperation with the Federal State of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Samoa, delivered a joint statement on the situation of human rights defenders in West Papua during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders on 6 March 2025.

Navy member accused of murdering woman in Sorong

On 12 January 2025, Mrs Kesya Irene Yola Lestaluhu, a 20-year-old woman, was found murdered in Saoka Beach, Sorong, Papua Barat Daya Province. The perpetrator, Mr Agung Suyono Ponidi, a 23-year-old member of the Indonesian Navy, confessed to stabbing the victim multiple times after engaging in sexual intercourse.