Human rights defenders allege that members of the Yonif 509/BY military unit tortured 16-year-old Yulianus Abugau in the Mamba Village, Sugapa District, on 8 December 2024. Yulianus Abugau succumbed to the injuries which he sustained as a result of the torture. Military personnel brought the body to the Intan Jaya General Hospital in the late afternoon. Yulianus’ parents demand justice for the extra-judicial execution of their son. They emphasise that Yulianus was neither armed nor affiliated with the West Papua National Army (TPNPB).
According to the information received, Yulianus Abugau and two friends were near Mamba Village, Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province, as their motorcycle ran out of fuel around 10.00 am. While his friends pushed the motorbike, Yulianus walked ahead to Mamba to procure fuel but was intercepted by Yonif 509/BY members near the Yonif 509/BY military post. It is believed that the military members dragged Yulianus into the forest behind the military post, where they tortured and fatally stabbed him with a bayonet. The relatives later found later found the body in the high grass (see photos below, source: independent HRDs), only 20-30 meters away from the post. They believe that the military members killed Yuliansu because they suspected him of being part of the armed independence movement.
Members of the Damai Cartenz police Special Unit brought the body to the Intan Jaya General Hospital. The relatives received Yulianus’s body about 4.30 pm and returned it to Mamba Village by evening. The body was buried on 10 December 2024, without forensic examination.
Recent reports from the conflict-ridden region of Intan Jaya in the Papua Tengah province have raised serious concerns about the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire between the Indonesian National Army (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Reports also indicate that the military has seized land belonging to the Moni Tribe in Intan Jaya Regency, without the consent or agreement of the indigenous community.
Yulianus Abugau’s body
Cremation of Yulinaus Abugau’s body in Mamba, 10 December 2024
Detailed Case Data
name of the location: Mamba (-3.7431309261163985, 136.98043613545866)
administrative region: Indonesia, Papua Tengah Province, Intan Jaya Regency, Sugapa District, Mamba Village
total number of victims: one
period of incident: 8.12.2024
perpetrator: other security forces
perpetrator details: Yonif 509/BY military unit
Issues: torture, ill-treatment, extra-judicial killings, indigenous peoples
Sources:
Further HRM News:
| Number | Name, Details | Gender | Age | Group Affiliation | Violations |
| 1 | Yulianus Abugau | male | 16 | indigenous | torture, execution |
