Military member alleged of beating Papuan man to death in Timika -

A military member allegedly killed twenty-six-year-old Mr Markus Kamisopa outside the town of Timika, Papua Tengah Province, on 2 August 2023. The incident occurred in front of a small store along the Timika-Pomako Road in Mapuru Jaya, Mimika Timur District, at 08:00 am. The fatal beating was reportedly triggered after a resident resented the victim for playing music loudly and called a TNI member to intervene. Mr Markus Kamisopa was brought to the Timika Hospital for medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries.

A video recorded shortly after the beating shows Mr Kamisopa unconsciously lying on the roadside while angry bystanders demolish the shop (see video below, source: independent HRD). The head of the XVII Cenderawasih Military Command, Colonel Herman Taryaman, denied the involvement of military personnel in the killing in a written statement to the local media outlet Fajarpapua.com. The local police chief stated that the case would be investigated in coordination with the military police.

In response to the incident, relatives and local residents protested spontaneously and built a roadblock in front of the Kompi Senapan A Yonif 757/GV Timika Military Post around 10:00 am. They called upon the military to hold the perpetrator accountable for his involvement in the beating. By 02:07 pm, the Mapuru Jaya Police Chief and a military representative arrived at the scene and talked with the relatives and the community. They assured that the case will be investigated and the military personnel responsible for the beating would face legal consequences (see video below, source: independent HRD). The road blockade continued until 04:15 pm when the victim’s body was handed over to the relatives at their residence.