On 30 June 2024, military members allegedly arrested Mr Atinus Kum (see photo on top), a member of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), in the Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province. According to the information received, Mr Kum was unarmed and on the way to the grocery store in town. The military members reportedly tortured and executed Mr Kum. Local informants allege that the soldiers burnt the body inside the Maleo Special Forces (Kopasus) Command Post.
After Mr Atinus Kum did not return home, relatives began searching for him. Family members went to the Maleo Kopasus Post on 1 July 2024 and asked whether Mr Kum was being detained at the military post. According to Mr Kum’s relatives, a soldier replied “We killed him and burned the body”. Thereupon, the relatives returned home and sought information, finding that military members had arrested and tortured Mr Kum. Some informant claimed he saw soldiers mutilating the body before burning it inside the post.
The affiliation with a rebel group does not justify the use of torture, extra-judicial executions, and enforced disappearances. These practices are illegal under international humanitarian and human rights law. Suspects should be handed over to the police to conduct a criminal investigation and process the perpetrators of a crime following proper law enforcement procedures.
Background
The security situation for civilians in Intan Jaya, one of the hotspots of armed violence in West Papua, remains tense. Military members patrol populated areas, exposing indigenous civilians in the area in danger of potential firefights with TPNPB members. Women in Sugapa district in Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province, have called for the removal of military and police posts from their communities due to the dangers they pose to civilians caught in the crossfire of armed conflict. The protests followed the tragic killing of a minor during a firefight in Sugapa, Intan Jaya, on 8 April 2024, marking the most recent incident of this pattern. Thirteen-year-old Ronaldus Duwitau was killed by bullets while six-year-old Nepina Duwitau sustained multiple bullet wounds on the hand and the head. The children were among a group of people hiding inside their house as the armed claseh occurred.
The people in Intan Jaya continue to live with the heavy military presence in their immediate environment. The photo below shows Indonesian military patrolling the Yokaptapa Village on 15 June 2024 (source: independent HRDs).
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Intan Jaya (-3.523455089068638, 136.51144615541415)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Tengah Province, Intan Jaya Regency
total number of victims: one
period of incident: 30.06.2024
perpetrator: other security forces
perpetrator details: unknown
Issues: torture, extra-judicial killings, indigenous peoples, enforced disappearance
Sources:
Further HRM News:
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1 | Atinus Kum | male | unknown | TPNPB | execution, torture, disappearance |
