Indonesia: Police Crackdown on Papuan Protesters Raises Human Rights Concerns

Indonesian police forcibly dispersed, beat, and detained 11 Papuan protesters in Merauke City, South Papua, on January 25, 2026, prompting condemnation from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and renewed concerns about human rights abuses in the region. The incident occurred as protesters gathered at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral to voice opposition to the government’s Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) project and to call on church officials to protect Indigenous communities.

Protest and Police Response

Members of the Voice of Catholic People of Papua (Suara Kaum Awam Katolik Regio Papua) convened at the cathedral to express their concerns about the impact of the MIFEE project on local Indigenous populations. They too voiced opposition to the Catholic Archdiocese of Merauke’s support for the government initiative. According to reports, police arrived and forcibly dispersed the peaceful gathering, arresting 11 individuals.

Protesters allege excessive force was used during the dispersal. Stenlhy Dambujai, 30, stated that officers “choked and beat” him, and that two other protesters, Maria Amote, 24, and Angel Gebze, 22, were struck on the head with batons. Following their arrest, the detainees were reportedly beaten again at the Merauke Traffic Police Station before being transferred to the Merauke police precinct for questioning.

Allegations of Abuse and Lack of Due Process

All 11 protesters were released without charge after midnight, but their lawyer, Arnold Anda of the Merauke Legal Aid Institute, reported that authorities failed to provide any legal justification for the arrests. Dambujai also claimed that police seized his smartphone, deleting photos and videos before returning it, leaving him feeling monitored and unsafe.

“Indigenous Papuan communities have the right to protest the government’s Merauke food project without having to worry about being beaten, arrested, and jailed,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Police and military personnel who commit abuses against local communities should be held to account and appropriately punished.”

The Merauke Food Estate Project and Land Rights

The MIFEE project, initiated in 2010 by then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and later revived and expanded by President Joko Widodo in 2023, aims to convert nearly three million hectares of forest and swampland into agricultural plantations. President Prabowo Subianto, who assumed office in October 2024, has further accelerated the project, with the stated goal of transforming Indonesia into a “granary of the world.”

However, the project poses a significant risk to the customary land rights of over 40,000 people from the Indigenous Malind, Maklew, Yei, and Khimaima communities, who rely on the land and forests for their livelihoods and cultural practices. These communities allege that the project is leading to displacement, land grabbing, deforestation, and the suppression of dissent through military presence.

Even as the government maintains that the project complies with national laws and regulations, including those related to Indigenous rights and environmental protection, organizations like Solidarity for Merauke argue that it has exacerbated human rights violations and forced displacement. The deployment of the Indonesian military to support the project, including planting and harvesting crops and discouraging protests, has further heightened concerns.

Concerns from Religious and International Bodies

On February 5, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, representing 105 Protestant denominations, issued a statement calling on the Indonesian government to “end land grabbing of Indigenous Papuans” and to engage in “honest, equal, and dignified dialogue” with Papuan communities regarding the food estate project.

In March 2025, nine United Nations special rapporteurs expressed concerns in a letter about the potential loss of livelihoods and traditional rights for Indigenous peoples living in 40 villages within and around the project area, citing systematic human rights and environmental violations.

“The Indonesian government has a responsibility to improve food production in the country,” Ganguly stated. “But it should be clear that the Merauke food project cannot be pursued by trampling on the rights to liberty, land, and livelihoods of the Indigenous Papuan population.”