INTAN JAYA — Management Headquarters Central KOMNAS TPNPB issued statement official which condemns strongly denial Head Information Koops TNI Habema, Lt. Col. Inf M Wirya Arthadiguna, related attack air using aircraft unmanned against Church Catholic Saint Paul Nabuni in Intan Jaya.
The drone attack launched on May 17, 2026, was reported to have injured four civilians who at that time had just come out of the house of worship, causing their conditions to currently be in critical status due to bomb shrapnel explosions in the church yard.
Responding to the unilateral claim by the TNI, TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom emphasized that the denial regarding the origin of the grenade and the bomb projectile is a systematic effort to obscure facts on the ground.
TPNPB stated that this act of denial is a scenario designed by Lieutenant Colonel Inf M Wirya Arthadiguna together with TNI General Lucky Avianto to cover up the serious violations that have occurred.
According to TPNPB, the armed attack directed directly at the place of worship and helpless civilians is a clear form of state terrorism against religious institutions.
"The statement issued by the Indonesian military officer in the media is a form of inhumane public lie as well as a structured effort to hide hands. The characteristics of the projectile, the use of unmanned vehicles, and the pattern of the airstrike that occurred on May 17, 2026, have identical similarities with the series of bombing operations launched by the Indonesian military in the Intan Jaya region throughout 2025," emphasized Sebby Sambom.
To strengthen the report, TPNPB also revealed the chronology and digital evidence related to the track record of Indonesian military air operations in the region.
Based on the gathered investigation data, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the loss of civilian lives is not the first incident. TPNPB internal documents recorded on January 30, 2026, where the complex of the Saint Bernardus Tipunggau Catholic Church, Bilogai Parish, located in Jalai Village, Sugapa District, suffered massive damage after being used as a tactical landing location by Indonesian military forces precisely at 09.00 in the morning, at the time the congregation was making preparations for worship.
In addition, digital video evidence of the statement from the Operational Commander of TPNPB Kodap VIII Intan Jaya, Major Abertinus Kobogau, emphasized that in June 2025, a similar drone attack had destroyed five civilian homes in Bulapa Village and targeted educational facilities and places of worship in the surroundings.
TPNPB views this succession of aggression as concrete evidence of war crimes that openly violate the basic principles of International Humanitarian Law regarding the protection of civilian objects in situations of armed conflict.
On the basis of this humanitarian emergency situation, TPNPB demands full accountability from the ranks of the government and the Indonesian military command. President Prabowo Subianto is requested to be responsible for all operational impacts of the militarization policy in the Land of Papua.
As a step toward global transparency, TPNPB also demands that the Indonesian government immediately lift restrictions and open the widest possible access for international journalists and foreign independent investigation teams to conduct direct reviews of these alleged gross human rights violations.
"The international community must not continuously be fed one-sided information. President Prabowo Subianto must immediately open access for international journalists so that the investigation into crimes against humanity can proceed in a balanced and transparent manner. We also specifically call upon Pope Leo XIV, church authorities throughout the Land of Papua, and the United Nations to immediately intervene in this military terrorism action for the sake of saving humanity which continues to be the target of operations," concluded Sebby Sambom. ***