Six soldiers are facing trial in the military court for the alleged crime, says the military commander
A group of activists reconstructs the crime scene of soldiers' murder of four Papuan natives. (Photo supplied)
Church leaders in Indonesia’s Papua region have called for tough punishments for six military soldiers accused of killing and mutilating four indigenous people in the restive Christian-majority province last month.
The Papua Commission of the interdenominational group, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), held a press conference on Sept. 12 to demand a fair probe and harsh sentences for the gruesome murders.
“The killing and mutilation are ‘beyond the limits of humanity.’ Extremely brutal. I do hope the suspected soldiers will be tried in civilian courts, instead of military courts,” said Father Bernard Baru, chairman of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Augustinian Order in Papua.
The priest spoke to UCA News on Sept. 13 and said military courts seemed to be not transparent since they tended to not make trial verdicts public.
He also cited the murder of a Protestant pastor in 2020 by a soldier, who was tried in a military court.
Reverend Yeremia Zanambani of the Gospel Tabernacle Church of Indonesia was found shot dead in September 2020 outside his home in Intan Jaya district of then Papua province.
An independent investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights, the soldier allegedly tortured and shot him at close range. The trial proceedings still remain unknown.
“Thus, the trial process of the killing and mutilation must be transparent. Never keep it under the rug. If so, such crimes will continue to happen,” Father Baru said.
“And punish the suspected soldiers harshly. They deserve life imprisonment.”
The church leaders expressed their concerns after reports suggested the accused will be prosecuted in the military court.
Local residents of Iwaka village in Mimika district of Central Papua province discovered bodies of Protestant Christians – Arnold Lokmbere, Irian Nirigi, Lemanion Nirigi, and Atis Tini – in sacks floating on the Pigapu River on Aug. 26.
The soldiers accused them of having links with a pro-independence separatist movement and allegedly killed them on Aug. 22 after pretending to sell weapons to them. Their bodies were dismembered, put in sacks, and dumped in the river.
Besides the soldiers, four civilians have been named suspects. One of them remains at large.
Adriana Elisabeth from the PGI said that military courts will never bring justice to the victims’ families.
“The case must be held in civilian courts. The point is that we want a transparent trial process. This is important for the victims’ families as well as the public. Related authorities must pay serious attention,” she told UCA News.
She alleged that the latest crime indicates that “the Papua region is not safe yet.”
Gustaf Kawer, director of the Association of Human Rights Lawyers in Papua and a lawyer of the victims’ families, told UCA News that the victims’ families denied the allegation that the four dead men were affiliated with the pro-independence movement.
“The victims were just a village leader and ordinary people. They went to Timika city to buy construction materials,” he said, adding that local police had collected statements from the victims’ families.
“The victims’ families want harsh sentences for the suspects - life imprisonment or the death sentence.”
Military commander Major General Muhammad Saleh Mustafa told reporters on Sept. 13 that three suspected soldiers were flown to the provincial capital Jayapura for a military court trial, and another three will be tried in the military court soon.
If found guilty, he said, the accused could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
On Sept. 12, Nada Al-Nashif, UN acting high commissioner for human rights, expressed concerns about intensified violence in Papua resulting in civilian casualties and displacement including the killing of four Papuans, during the 51st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“I am shocked by recent reports of the dismembered bodies of four indigenous Papuan civilians found outside Timika in West Papua Province on 22 August,” she said.
“I note the government’s initial efforts to investigate, including the arrest of at least six military personnel, and urge a thorough, impartial, and independent investigation, holding those responsible to account,” she added.
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