YAHUKIMO - Four members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) Kodap XVI Yahukimo Edensawi Battalion were shot dead in a civilian settlement in the Old KPU area, Dekai, Yahukimo, after being captured alive and unarmed by joint personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri).
The incident that occurred in the middle of the civilian settlement sparked strong condemnation as it was assessed as a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law.
The raid was carried out by joint personnel of the TNI, Polri, the Cartenz Peace Task Force, up to the Marine Corps surrounding a civilian home.
Based on capture photos, four TPNPB combatants were escorted out of the house with hands tied without holding weapons or offering resistance.
Another photo showed four coffins covered in black cloth with cross markings prepared by local residents for burial.
Eyewitnesses and family members rejected the Indonesian military narrative stating the combatants died as a result of a shootout in the forest area.
There was an assertion that the video of the pursuit in the plantation distributed by authorities was deliberately made to cover up the execution on the spot.
"Four TPNPB combatants were captured alive inside a civilian home without weapons and did not offer resistance, yet were ordered to line up then shot dead," said a Papua human rights practitioner Ones Suhuniap, Thursday (3/9/2026).
Before the shooting took place, civilians around the location were ordered to close their eyes by security forces.
After the execution was completed, seven civilians at the location were also arrested and taken to the Yahukimo Resort Police (Polres).
The arrests of the civilians were carried out based solely on administrative reasons, namely not possessing a Family Card and an Identity Card.
Under international rules of war, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions 1949 strictly prohibits the killing of combatants who are no longer taking part in hostilities or hors de combat.
TPNPB captured alive should receive full protection and be treated as prisoners of war to be subsequently processed through legal channels.
The action of detaining civilians in a settlement area on grounds of population documents was assessed as a form of baseless criminalization.
This incident in Yahukimo adds to a long pattern of violence and arbitrary arrests that continue to recur in the land of Papua.
TPNPB urged the establishment of an Independent Investigation Team from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to thoroughly investigate war crimes in Papua.
Other demands submitted included the immediate release of seven civilians still detained at the Yahukimo Polres without clear legal basis.
Access to legal aid and health services was requested to be opened immediately for all residents currently still in detention.
TPNPB also emphasized that military operations in civilian settlements and the practice of extrajudicial executions be stopped immediately to uphold human values and the right to life of every person. (One Papua)