Jayapura, Jubi – A coalition of civil society organizations under the Papua Solidarity Network said on Wednesday that human rights conditions in Papua have worsened since Indonesia assumed the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council in January 2026.

The network, which includes Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Amnesty International Indonesia, Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), Greenpeace Indonesia, Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI), Commission for the Disappeared and Victim of Violence (Kontras), and Asian Justice and Rights (AJAR), cited an increase in armed conflict, civilian shootings, arbitrary arrests and alleged torture.

Incidents were reported in several regions, including Tambrauw in Southwest Papua, Yahukimo and Tolikara in Highland Papua, and Dogiyai, Puncak and Puncak Jaya in Central Papua, the group said.

The coalition also pointed to alleged land seizures and the displacement of Indigenous communities linked to government-backed development programs, including National Strategic Projects and the deployment of territorial military units.

Between January and April 2026, the group recorded at least three alleged violations of Indigenous rights, 20 cases of arbitrary detention in Tambrauw and Yahukimo, and one alleged misuse of firearms in Tolikara. It also documented two cases of internal displacement due to armed conflict and two alleged cases of serious human rights violations in Dogiyai and Puncak.

Based on these findings, the network declared the situation in Papua a “human rights emergency.”

“The President of the Republic of Indonesia must immediately halt all military operations in Papua and open space for dialogue to resolve the political issues between Indonesia and Papua, which are the root cause of the armed conflict leading to human rights violations in Papua over the past 60 years,” the Papua Solidarity Network said in a press release on Wednesday (April 29, 2026).

The coalition also called on the president of the United Nations Human Rights Council to urge Indonesia to ensure justice for victims of alleged serious abuses in Dogiyai and Puncak.

In addition, it urged Indonesia’s parliament to review the country’s security-based approach in Papua and called on the military and police leadership to prioritize a humanitarian approach, halt arbitrary arrests, and hold accountable those responsible for alleged abuses.

The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) was urged to immediately establish an investigative team under Law No. 26 of 2000, involving the National Commission on Violence Against Women and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission, to investigate alleged gross human rights violations in Dogiyai and Puncak regencies.

It also urged the Witness and Victim Protection Agency to expand its presence in Papua and ensure protection and legal rights for victims and witnesses.

The governors of Central Papua and Southwest Papua, together with the regents of Puncak and Tambrauw, were urged to immediately establish a protection team for internally displaced persons affected by armed conflict, and to ensure the provision of basic needs, education, and healthcare for displaced communities in Puncak and Tambrauw regencies. (*)