Military members alleged to have tortured and executed indigenous Papuan in Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency
13 November 2025 / 3 minutes of reading
Members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) killed Mr Frengki Kogoya, 21, in the vicinity of the Jayawijaya District Military Command (Kodim 1702) in Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, on 11 November 2025. Mr Kogoya, an indigenous Papuan from the Wiringgambut District, had reportedly been suffering from mental health problems for two weeks. TNI personnel reportedly tortured and subsequently executed the victim. Mr Kogoya died at the Jayawijaya Regional General Hospital in Wamena on 12 November 2025, at 9:00 pm.
At 7:00 am, two men, believed to be TNI personnel, showed up at Mr Kogoya’s home, throwing stones at his house, which is located behind the Kodim 1702 Jayawijaya military compound. As he came outside, the men immediately accused him of damaging the back wall of the military compound. According to eyewitness testimony, the two men assaulted Mr Kogoya in front of his older brother and a nearby resident. When bystanders questioned the men about the cause of the dispute, one of the perpetrators stated that the victim had “damaged the Kodim wall.” The torture continued until approximately 8:00 pm.
At around 8:12 pm, the victim was taken to Wamena Regional General Hospital in critical condition. Less than an hour later, at around 9:00 pm, he succumbed to his injuries, which reportedly included severe bruising and a suspected gunshot wound (see photos below, source: independent HRD). The following morning, Mr Kogoya’s family and residents carried his body to the Kodim 1702 Jayawijaya compound in protest (see photos below, source: independent HRD), demanding an explanation and accountability from the military authorities.
The victim’s relatives demand an independent and transparent investigation involving the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and civil society organisations, the prosecution of the perpetrators under national law, and recognition of customary law mechanisms to restore justice and dignity to the family.
The Commander of Kodim 1702/Jayawijaya, Lieutenant Colonel Arh Reza Ch. A. Mamoribo, allegedly admitted that one of his subordinates had shot the victim using an air rifle and pledged to take responsibility. He stated that both national and customary legal processes would be pursued. At the higher command level, Major General Amrin Ibrahim, Commander of Military Command XVII/Cenderawasih, publicly emphasised a zero-tolerance policy toward acts of violence by TNI personnel, promising that those found guilty would face prosecution. However, the official military statement claimed that the autopsy revealed “bruises, not gunshot wounds,” a finding that contradicts multiple witness reports and the family’s testimony. The military police (Pomdam XVII/Cenderawasih) have reportedly detained the suspects for investigation.
Human rights analysis
The torture and killing of Mr Frengki Kogoya constitutes an extrajudicial execution under international human rights law. The deliberate use of force resulting in death outside any judicial process, especially against a civilian, represents a grave violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on the right to life; Article 7 of the ICCPR, on the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention Against Torture (CAT), prohibiting torture by state agents. All suspected unlawful killings require that an independent, prompt, and transparent investigation in accordance with theMinnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016) should take place.
The death of Frengki Kogoya reflects a pattern of excessive and unlawful violence by state security forces in the Papuan provinces. Urgent and impartial investigation, accountability for the perpetrators, and reparation for the family are essential to ensure justice and uphold Indonesia’s obligations under international human rights law.
Body of Mr Frengky Kogoya at the Jayawijaya Regional General Hospital in Wamena, 12 November 2025
Mr Kogoya’s family and residents carry the body to the Kodim 1702 Jayawijaya compound, 12 November 2025
1) Russian airbase unease hangs over Australia-Indonesia defence treaty
Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Jakarta to consult Canberra on issues related to regional security
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Bloomberg Published: 1:52pm, 13 Nov 2025
Australia signalled lingering unease on Thursday over whether Russia may seek access to an airbase in eastern Indonesia, stressing that Jakarta has an obligation to consult Canberra on matters affecting regional security.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong was pressed over reports earlier this year that Moscow was looking for entry points in Indonesia’s Papua region, about 1,400km (870 miles) north of Darwin. Indonesia has publicly ruled out such access, but Wong noted the close ties between Moscow and Jakarta while declining to say whether President Prabowo Subianto offered any clarity on the matter during his visit to Australia this week.
“It’s true that Indonesia has had a long-standing relationship with Russia, and Russia has had relations with countries in our region,” she told ABC News of Australia when asked about a potential Russian base. Our defence pacts “put an obligation on both countries to ensure that we consult about things that matter to us both”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced alongside Prabowo in Sydney this week that the countries had substantively concluded talks on a new bilateral defence treaty to significantly expand security cooperation. He expects to travel to Indonesia in January to formally sign the accord.
These agreements are “all about making sure we work together to maintain stability and security in our region”, Wong said in a separate interview on Thursday.
Ties between Indonesia and Australia have warmed in recent years, moving past tensions during the Cold War. Yet Wong’s comments indicate that the Russian base issue, which emerged as a point of concern in Australia’s election earlier this year, continues to bubble away.
Defence media outlet Janes reported in April that Russia had requested access to the Manuhua Air Force Base in Papua for military aircraft. Moscow at the time touted its defence ties with Jakarta and did not deny claims that it sought such access, according to news reports.
Indonesia’s defence ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
“We don’t have airspace cooperation with Russia,” Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Kuala Lumpur last month. “That was an issue during the Australian election. No issue now.”
2) Australia and Indonesia to Sign ‘Watershed’ Defense Treaty in January
The agreement marks a high-point in the bilateral relationship, but stops short of marking a significant strategic reorientation on the part of Jakarta.
By Sebastian Strangio November 13, 2025
Australia and Indonesia yesterday agreed on a new defense treaty that will expand their security cooperation and commit them to joint consultations over shared threats.
The treaty was jointly announced in Sydney yesterday by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is currently on his first state visit to Australia. Standing alongside Prabowo, the two leaders said that they “substantively concluded” negotiations on the treaty, which builds on the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed last year.
The treaty will commit Australia and Indonesia to “consult at a leader and ministerial level, on a regular basis on matters of security,” Albanese told reporters. It will also facilitate “mutually beneficial security activities, and if either or both countries’ security is threatened, to consult and consider what measures may be taken, either individually or jointly, to deal with those threats.”
Albanese said that the treaty, which will be officially signed in January, was a “watershed moment” that “signals a new era in the Australia-Indonesia relationship.” Prabowo added that “good neighbors will help each other in times of difficulties.” “Our determination is to maintain the best of relationships in order to enhance and guarantee security for both of our countries,” he added.
According to a report by the ABC, the treaty was first raised in discussions between Albanese and Prabowo shortly after Australia’s federal election in May. It was then “negotiated in total secrecy, with both leaders progressing the deal over discussions in New York and ASEAN.”
While the text of the agreement has not been made public, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it is based on the 1995 security agreement signed by then-Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating and Indonesian President Suharto. Four years later, Jakarta abrogated the pact over Australia’s involvement in the East Timor crisis. ABC reported that after yesterday’s meeting with Albanese, Prabowo met with Keatingin Sydney.
The agreement caps a period of growing strategic convergence between Canberra and Jakarta, driven in part by overlapping concerns about China’s growing power and the growing geopolitical turbulence that has resulted. In response, Australia has recently sought to boost defense ties with its Asian neighbors, signing a mutual defense treaty with Papua New Guinea last month.
David Andrews from the National Security College told the ABC that the agreement could end up being “the most significant security partnership Australia has established under Prime Minister Albanese,” and said that its “language of consulting” and references to potential joint action were “consistent with Australia’s existing security partnerships with Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan.”
Other defense analysts have suggested that the treaty, for all its political significance, stops short of representing a significant strategic shift on the part of Indonesia. While Indonesia shares Australian concerns about China, it continues to adhere to a non-aligned foreign policy doctrine that emphasizes sustained defense engagements with all major powers, including China and Russia.
Since taking office in October 2024, Prabowo has paid a state visit to Russia in June, when he and President Vladimir Putin signed a “declaration on strategic partnership.” He has also visited China twice, in November of last year and then again in September, when he attended the massive military parade in Beijing marking the end of World War II. During the parade, he was granted a privileged position on the main rostrum alongside Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Under Prabowo, Indonesia has also taken part in military exercises with both China and Russia, and became the first Southeast Asian nation to join BRICS, a global grouping that has positioned itself as an alternative to institutions dominated by the U.S. and other Western nations.
This continued engagement on both “sides” of the growing geopolitical divide counsels against grand pronouncements about the treaty, Euan Graham, a senior analyst for defense strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told Reuters. Unlike the treaty signed between Australia and Papua New Guinea last month, Graham noted that the agreement doesn’t specifically commit Indonesia and Australia to acting to meet a common danger. He described the agreement as “classic balancing behavior” on the part of Prabowo, and “more about raising the political symbolism” of the relationship between the two nations.
STAFF AUTHOR
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat.
3) Major General Lekagak Talenggen urges Papuan diplomats to unite for independence
November 13, 2025 in Press Releases Reading Time: 2 mins read
Author: Jubi Admin - Editor: Arjuna Pademme
Jayapura, Jubi – Major General Lekagak Telenggen, Commander of the General Operations of the West Papua National Liberation Front (TPNPB), urged all independent Papuan diplomats to unite.
Lekagak Telenggen called on Benny Wenda, Jeffrey Pagawak, Sebby Sambom, and all independent Papuan diplomats worldwide to halt the ambitions of their respective struggle factions and immediately unite to reclaim the independence of the Papuan nation.
"I also emphasize that all the names I mentioned above are children of TPNPB members. Therefore, unite immediately, lobby for weapons, and send them to TPNPB troops in 36 regional defense commands throughout Papua to fight the hundreds of thousands of Indonesian military personnel sent by Prabowo Subianto to Papua, who are conducting military operations and various national strategic projects that have killed generations of Papuans," Lekagak Telenggen said in a written press release on Thursday (11/13/2025).
He also emphasized to all civilian factions fighting for Papuan independence in Papua and all Papuans who desire independence to immediately abandon personal or group ambitions.
"We, the West Papua National Liberation Front (TPNPB) in 36 Regional Defense Commands throughout the Land of Papua, have been victims for over 60 years, and our people are also victims. But you haven't united, so Papuans continue to be killed by the Indonesian state," he said.
He said the Indonesian government is constantly conducting military deployments, using drones, military helicopters, fighter jets, and sophisticated weapons, and carrying out bombings and brutal shootings against the TPNPB, resulting in many Papuan casualties.
He stated that the situation in Papua is not stable due to Indonesian military attacks on civilian settlements and the high number of casualties. Therefore, he urged Free Papua diplomats worldwide to immediately lobby for weapons in UN member states or any other country ready to assist.
According to Lekagak Telenggen, the weapons held by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in 36 regional defense commands throughout Papua are merely confiscated from the Indonesian military.
"Remember, our natural resources are abundant, and we are ready to cooperate with the countries that have supported us in jointly expelling Indonesian colonialism in Papua. When will diplomats help us provide weapons to defend the land and people of Papua from the ongoing massacre by the Indonesian government?" he said.
"I strongly urge all Free Papua diplomats to unite immediately, because you are not the only ones who want independence; all Papuans want independence," he added. (*)
2) Joint media statement - Sydney | Prime Minister of Australia
Joint media statement - Sydney
Media statement
Transcript
Joint statement
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Prabowo Subianto
President of the Republic of Indonesia
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Today, I am standing alongside my friend, Indonesian President Bapak Prabowo Subianto, to make what is a historic announcement. The governments of Australia and Indonesia have just substantively concluded negotiations on a new bilateral treaty on our common security. Australia's relationship with Indonesia is based on friendship, trust, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to peace and stability in our region.
This treaty is a recognition from both our nations that the best way to secure that peace and stability is by acting together. It signals a new era in the Australia-Indonesia relationship. The treaty is predominantly based on the landmark security agreement signed by the Keating and Suharto governments 30 years ago. It will build on the 2006 Lombok Treaty that, among other things, reaffirmed Indonesia's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It also builds on the Defence Cooperation Agreement that we signed together last year.
This treaty will commit Australia and Indonesia to consult at a leader and ministerial level on a regular basis on matters of security to identify and undertake mutually beneficial security activities, and, if either or both countries security is threatened, to consult and consider what measures may be taken either individually or jointly to deal with those threats.
This is a watershed moment in the Australia Indonesia relationship. This treaty represents a major extension of our existing security and defence cooperation. It shows the relationship is as strong as it has ever been, and that's a great thing for our region and for the people of both Australia and Indonesia.
I hope to travel to Indonesia in January next year, at the President's invitation, to formally sign the new treaty after it has gone through our domestic processes.
I now hand to the President for his remarks.
PRABOWO SUBIANTO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA: Thank you, Honourable Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia; ministers, high ranking officials, senior officers of the Australian Defence Forces and Australian Navy; the Captain of the HMAS Canberra; distinguished members of the media. I would like to once again thank the Government of Australia, the Prime Minister of Australia and his Government for receiving me.
This is my first state visit to Australia, although I've been here many times, and I'm pleased to have been received by the Governor-General this morning. We had very good discussions, and we concluded an important agreement, an important treaty between Australia and Indonesia, committing ourselves to close cooperation in the defence and security fields, and essentially reaffirming our determination to enhance our friendship and to as partners, as close neighbours, our determination to maintain the best of relationship in order to enhance and guarantee security of both our countries. I think essentially that is the purpose.
I mentioned many times that we cannot choose our neighbours, especially countries like us. It is our destiny to be direct neighbours. So, let us face our destiny with the best of intentions. I believe in the good neighbour policy. Good neighbours are essential. Good neighbours will help each other in times of difficulties. And in the Indonesian culture, we have a saying. When we face an emergency, it is our neighbour that will help us. Maybe our relatives will remain far away, but our neighbours are the closest. And only good neighbours will help each other.
I think that concludes my remarks. I better not speak too much. As politicians, you know, we tend to speak a lot in front of the media. But once again, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, thank you very much for receiving me in such a grand manner. You know, I think your intelligence is very good; you know that I like bagpipes, so I'm received by bagpipes. And thank you very much.
3) Prabowo Subianto's foreign policy hints at what Indonesia gains from treaty with Australia
By Indonesia correspondent Tim Swanston in Jakarta and foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic
1h ago
The term "alliance" is a dirty word in Indonesia.
As one of the founding members of the "Non-Aligned Movement", Indonesia from its early days was clear that it did not want to be on either side of a polarised world.
In that vein, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto often utters a Chinese proverb: "One thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many."
The president even did so in Mandarin at a business forum in Beijing last year.
But much of that rhetoric was put to the test on Wednesday, when standing on board HMAS Canberra alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Prabowo announced that Indonesia and Australia had agreed to an upgraded security treaty.
While the full text is yet to be revealed and signed, it appears it would hold Australia and Indonesia to hold leader and ministerial consultations on matters of common security, to develop cooperation, and to consult each other in the case of threats and consider individual or joint measures.
What this will mean in practice depends on who you ask.
The ABC understands it means Indonesia would be required to share information on matters that would be important for Australia's security, and vice-versa.
For example, if Russia wanted to develop a base in West Papua, Indonesia would have to consult Australia on that.
Analysts say the treaty still appears to give both countries a fair amount of wiggle room, allowing Indonesia and Australia space to pursue their own interests and key priorities.
And, in the end, a treaty offers no guarantees and is only as good as the word — and actions — of whoever holds the reins of government.
But it may still be a crucial strand in what the foreign minister has called a "web of relationships" with countries of this region.
Or as one Australian government figure told the ABC on Wednesday, echoing a former prime minister: "This is finding our security in Asia."
Indonesia's motives are less clear
For Australia, the motivation to lock up a treaty with Indonesia is clear.
Indonesia is the fourth-largest country in the world, the largest in South-East Asia, and is a crucial player in the region.
Indonesia's motives, given it may be testing the boundaries of its policy of non-alignment, are less clear.
However, it's not entirely surprising when viewed from Prabowo's recent approach to the world stage.
In one moment, he's caught on a hot mic with Donald Trump talking about contacting US president sons, and giving and receiving effusive praise for the American leader.
In another, he's standing alongside Chinese President Xi Xinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, watching a display of China's military prowess.
Some analysts have said his foreign policy approach lacks a coherent strategy.
Others would say the former military commander is making important friends at a time when the world order is uncertain and challenging.
Both could be true.
What is clear is that countries in the Asia-Pacific are looking for ways to counter China's assertiveness and growing influence in the region.
Indonesia might be growing its defence relationship with China, but it would likely appreciate some assurances from a friendly Australia that it can help provide checks and balances on the military superpower.
"This neighbour relationship is evolving and I think it's very important, especially in the era of an unstable security situation in the region," said Edna Caroline, a co-founder of Indonesian strategic and defence think tank ISDS.
"Especially China's rising and the United States pivoting, and like Australia, we live in this region, so we need to cooperate to enhance our mutual interest to have security and stability in the region."
Indonesian president's visit laden with symbolism
Prabowo's visit on Wednesday was also laden with symbolism, with the president visiting former prime minister Paul Keating shortly after the announcement.
Keating and Prabowo's former father-in-law, former Indonesian president Suharto, signed a sweeping security treaty three decades ago.
(Prabowo separated from Suharto's daughter, Titiek Soeharto, in 1998).
It was an enormous development for Indonesia at the time, the first bilateral security agreement it had entered into.
But the treaty was short-lived, torn up by Indonesia after Australia led an international force to bring security in East Timor, now Timor-Leste.
After time in the wilderness, Australia's defence and security relationship improved after the 2002 Bali Bombings, with a security deal, the Lombok Treaty, signed in 2006.
Analysts say the speed of this treaty, organised so quickly after a Defence Cooperation Agreement was finalised last year, speaks volumes about how much Prabowo must trust Australia.
It's understood Albanese first raised the treaty with Prabowo after the May federal election and it was negotiated in complete secrecy during meetings in New York and recently at ASEAN.
Australia's determination to keep these discussions firmly out of the public eye was another measure of the pact's sensitivity. The government would have been desperate not to endanger the agreement by letting the news slip out, risking a political debate in Indonesia or drawing the attention of other powers like China.
Treaties raise questions
The ABC has reported that Albanese went to lengths to inform Indonesia about the mutual defence "PukPuk" treaty with Papua New Guinea well before it was announced and signed.
It's a delicate issue, with Papua New Guinea bordering Indonesia's West Papua region, which has seen a decades-long, bloody conflict play out over independence, intensifying in recent years.
After the PukPuk signing, Indonesia said it expected Australia and PNG to respect its sovereignty and independence.
Analysts say Indonesians feel West Papua is their key security challenge.
Ultimately, the two treaties raise questions over what would happen if violence were to flare up at the West Papua-Papua New Guinea border.
At the time of the PukPuk treaty, an Indonesian foreign affairs spokesperson told the ABC that Indonesia's foreign policy principle of "free and active" diplomacy meant that "[Indonesia] avoids entering into agreements that resemble military or defence alliances with any country".
These issues, or the potential incongruity with Indonesia's non-alignment, appeared not to dissuade Prabowo from agreeing to this treaty.
While making the announcement, taking inspiration from an Islamic Hadith, or an account of the sayings of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, Subianto had a message for Australia.
"When we face an emergency, it is our neighbour that will help us," the president said.
"Our neighbours are the closest, and only good neighbours will help each other."
But both countries will surely be hoping that aphorism never faces the acid test of a real conflict over the years ahead.
