Five Police officers torture 17-year-old boy in Manokwari

Five police officers allegedly beat up a 17-year-old boy with the initials GIS in the town of Manokwari, Papua Barat Regency, on 15 May 2022. According to the police, the officers stopped GIS at Trikora Wosi Manokwari Street because he violated traffic rules and insulted the police officers. Thereupon, the five officers collectively beat up GIS, who reportedly sustained bruises on the face and the body. The incident was recorded on video which quickly spread on social media.

The victim’s relative reported the five officers to the Profession and Security Unit (Prompam) of the Papua Barat Regional Police (Polda Papua Barat). Nothing is known about the outcome of the code-of-conduct hearing.

Code-of-conduct police “trials” in Indonesia lack transparency and independence. The hearings often result in lenient sentences for the perpetrators. They are closed to the victims, their relatives, and the public. Accordingly, the sanctions against the perpetrators are often not communicated to the victims.

Detailed Case Data
Location: Trikora Wosi Street
Region: Indonesia, Papua Barat Province, Manokwari, West Manokwari
Region: Indonesia, West Papua, Manokwari, West Manokwari
Total number of victims: 1

# Number of Victims Name, Details Gender Age Group Affiliation Violations
1. 1 unknown, minor with name initials GIS
male 17 ill-treatment
Period of incident: 15/05/2022 – 15/05/2022
Perpetrator: Indonesian Police

Perpetrator details: unknown

Issues: security force violence, indigenous peoples, women and children