DEKAI – The human rights situation in Yahukimo Regency, Highland Papua, is again under spotlight after the emergence of reports of alleged arbitrary arrests of four civilians on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
The incident, which occurred around 11:00 Papua Time, took place at the residence of Danton Giban, a member of the DPRP of Highland Papua Province located on Kurima Street, Dekai. According to information from Human Rights Defender (HRD), joint TNI-Polri personnel allegedly entered the house without carrying a warrant or following applicable legal procedures.
The four residents secured in the incident were identified as Kablik Giban who is a village head, Toni Giban who works as a farmer, and two male students named Matius Giban and Weak Heluak.
Based on collected data, personnel conducted a search at the scene and seized a number of residents' personal belongings such as mobile phones and household tools. The four victims were then taken using officers' operational vehicles to a detention location for which information is currently still very limited.
Reports from human rights defenders state that the victims are strongly suspected of experiencing very severe physical violence during their detention.
They were reported to have received torture in the form of punches, kicks, to the use of cables and stun devices. These heinous acts are suspected to aim to force the victims to admit their involvement in the TPNPB even though their status in the community is pure civilians.
This condition triggers deep concern regarding the safety of the victims' lives who are currently still languishing in cells.
Nabi W. Heluka, Theology and Humanity Activist in Yahukimo, strongly condemned the repressive actions which are considered to injure principles of humanity. He emphasized that what happened at the residence of the former Chairman of the Yahukimo DPR is a form of real legal violation.
"The families and relatives of the victims express objection to the actions of the apparatus who treat civilians like criminals without a clear legal basis," he said.
The security situation in Yahukimo throughout the year 2026 is assessed to be increasingly worsening with the increasing escalation of arrests without procedure. Human rights defender groups and the local community see a tendency that the area is heading towards a state of acute humanitarian emergency.
Therefore, urgent attention is needed from national human rights institutions, church parties, as well as the central government to immediately conduct an independent investigation to guarantee justice for the affected civilians. ***