On 5 September 2026, personnel belonging to Infantry Battalion 509/Kostrad of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) reportedly detained five indigenous Papuans near the TNI J2 post in Wandoga Village, Sugapa District, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province. Local sources stated that military personnel accused the five men of acting as intermediaries for, or being affiliated with, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Their families and members of the local community rejected these allegations and maintained that all five were civilians. The men were reportedly held overnight at the military post before being released on 6 September 2026, following sustained pressure from relatives and local residents.
According to information from local sources, the five men were walking in the Sugapa area on the afternoon of 5 September when military personnel detained them near the J2 post at approximately 3:00 pm. Subsequent local reports stated that they were taken to the J2 post operated by personnel of Infantry Battalion 509/Kostrad. They were questioned or otherwise held on suspicion of supporting TPNPB combatants. No arrest warrant, formal criminal allegation, or other legal basis for their detention was presented to their families. Later that evening, residents from Bilogai and Yokatapa villages, relatives gathered outside the military post. They reportedly remained near the post around a bonfire (see photos and videos on top and below, source: independent HRD), demanding clarification concerning the grounds for the arrests and calling for the detainees’ release.
The community mobilisation continued into the evening of 5 September. Local residents called on government officials to intervene and facilitate communication with the security forces. The families repeatedly maintained that the five detainees were civilians and rejected claims that they were members or intermediaries of the TPNPB. The five men were ultimately released on 6 September 2026, after sustained pressure from their families and the surrounding community.
Human rights analysis
The circumstances surrounding the detention raise concerns under the right to liberty and security of person. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a State Party, prohibits arbitrary arrest or detention and requires that any person deprived of liberty be informed promptly of the reasons for the arrest and of any criminal charges. Deprivation of liberty must not only have a basis in domestic law but must also be necessary, reasonable and proportionate in the individual circumstances. Detaining civilians merely on the basis of an unsubstantiated suspicion of association with an armed group, without transparent legal procedures or access to ordinary judicial safeguards, may therefore amount to arbitrary detention.
The alleged involvement of TNI personnel also raises significant questions concerning the legal basis and competence of military personnel to apprehend and detain civilians for ordinary criminal-law purposes. Criminal investigations concerning civilians should be carried out in accordance with Indonesia’s applicable criminal procedural framework and accompanied by the safeguards prescribed by law. Where military personnel temporarily apprehend an individual because of an immediate security situation, any continued deprivation of liberty must nevertheless have a lawful basis and be subject to appropriate civilian judicial safeguards. Holding civilians inside a military post without transparency regarding their legal status, the evidence against them or access to procedural safeguards increases the risk of arbitrary detention, coercive interrogation and ill-treatment.
The case must also be considered within the broader security context of Intan Jaya Regency, where armed confrontations between Indonesian security forces and the TPNPB have repeatedly affected civilians. International human rights obligations continue to apply in areas affected by armed conflict. Security forces must distinguish between civilians and persons directly participating in hostilities and may not treat residents as members or supporters of an armed group merely because of their place of residence, family connections or perceived political associations. Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect an individual of a criminal offence, authorities should rely on individualised evidence and procedures consistent with the principles of legality, presumption of innocence and due process.
Relatives and residents from Wandoga, Bilogai, Yokatapa and other villages gathered outside the J2 military post on 5 September 2026
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Detailed Case Data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-121-2026
Location: 726J+5QG, Bilogai, Sugapa, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua 98768, Indonesia (-3.7395623, 137.0319626) Wandoga Village
Region: Indonesia > Central Papua > Intan Jaya > Sugapa
Total number of victims: 5
#
Number of Victims
Name, Details
Gender
Age
Group Affiliation
Violations
1.
1
Yoas Japugau
male
unknown
Indigenous Peoples
arbitrary detention
2.
1
Daud Sondegau
male
unknown
Indigenous Peoples
arbitrary detention
3.
1
Noti Sondegau
male
unknown
Indigenous Peoples
arbitrary detention
4.
1
Paskalis Belau
male
unknown
Indigenous Peoples
arbitrary detention
5.
1
Rian Sondegau
male
unknown
Indigenous Peoples
arbitrary detention
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Army (TNI-AD)
Perpetrator details: Infantry Battalion 509/Kostrad
Issues: indigenous peoplesRelated Cases:
Alleged arbitrary detention of civilians by Indonesian military forces in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya
Military personnel arbitrarily detain two indigenous Papuans at TNI Post in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya
Military members shoot indigenous child during raid in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya
Two Papuans arbitrarily arrested in Sugapa, Intan Jaya