The following is based on a communication written by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts to the Government of Indonesia on 8 July 2025. The communication remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the Government time to reply. The Government replied on 4 September 2025.
After Mr. Marcho Pahabol was temporarily relocated to ensure his safety, he recently returned to Papua Pegunungan Province. He has not received any threats since his return and continues to advocate for the case of Tobias Silak. On 28 October 2025, the Chief Brigadier of the Gorontalo Police Mobile Brigade who was the primary defendant accused of killing Tobias Silak was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The three other police officers involved in the case were sentenced to five years in prison. The victim’s family stated that the sentences do not reflect the gravity of the police officers’ crimes.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the harassment and intimidation of indigenous Papuan human rights defender Mr. Marcho Pahabol in Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province since March 2025.
Mr. Marcho Pahabol is a human rights defender who has been vocal on the continuing violence in the Papua region, including the occurrence of extrajudicial and summary executions and the lack of adequate and transparent investigations in these killings. He is a member of the Justice Front for Tobias Silak (FJFTS), a solidarity group formed in August 2024 in Dekai following the alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Tobias Silak, an indigenous Papuan and a staff member of the election supervisory agency (Bawaslu) who was reportedly shot dead by para-military police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers in 24 August 2024 in front of the Yahukimo District Police Headquarters in Dekai. Mr. Marcho Pahabol and the FJFTS have been strongly advocating for an investigation into the alleged killing of Mr. Silak.
Concerns regarding the criminalization and intimidation of human rights defenders in the Papua and West Papua provinces were raised in several previous communications sent to the Indonesian Government by special procedures mandate holders, including IDN 5/2024, IDN 2/2023, IDN 1/2023, IDN 10/2021, IDN 8/2021, IDN 6/2021, and IDN 2/2020. We thank the Government for the replies received. However, we remain concerned about the situation.
ALLEGATIONS
On 16 December 2024, the FJFTS coordinated peaceful protests in different parts of Indonesia, including in Jayapura, Jakarta, Deiyi and Makassar protesting the slow progress of the investigation into the shooting and alleged extrajudicial killing of two civilians by the Papua Regional Police (Polda) including Mr. Tobias Silak.
On the same date, 16 December 2014, in Jayapura, a peaceful protest was held in front of the Waena Expo portal, where a statement was read out from the Waena expo stage by various youth and student organisations. A similar peaceful action was held by the FJFTS in Jakarta. The action, which took place in front of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM)’s office, was marked by the burning of a tyre which was referred to as a symbol of lighting the fire of justice for Mr. Tobias Silak.
In Makassar, organisations including FJFTS urged Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Human Rights Minister (Menham) Mr. Natalius Pigai to take immediate and meaningful steps to resolve all cases of human rights violation in Papua, including the shooting and alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Tobias Silak.
On 24 December 2024, following their investigation into the killing of Mr. Silak, Komnas HAM made its findings into the shooting incident in Dekai public, identifying four BRIMOB Officers as the alleged perpetrators. Komnas HAM’s findings also stated that the killing and injuries were a human rights violation, in particular the right to life and the right to justice.
On 25 January 2025, Mr. Macho Pahabol organised open discussions and strategic meetings with youth community representatives in Dekai calling on the Yahukimo District Police to take cognisance of Komnas HAM’s findings and investigate the alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Tobias Silak.
On 21 February 2025, the FJFTS held a public protest in Deyai where Mr. Pahabol delivered a speech calling on the Papuan Regional Police to take cognisance of recommendations issued by Komnas HAM and to arrest and investigate the four BRIMOB officers. They also called for the trial to be relocated to Jayapura.
At approximately 9 p.m. on 26 March 2025, Mr. Pahabol was attacked and assaulted on his way home by seven to eight unidentified men. As a result of this incident, the human rights defender was injured on his face, legs and hands and continues to have pain in the back of his head.
On 29 March 2025, Mr. Pahabol was attacked again on his way home by an unidentified individual on a motorcycle who reportedly attempted to stab him in a residential area of Dekai. He was able to escape from the attacker but was wounded by the knife on his arm and right shoulder. No police complaint was filed regarding the incident.
On 2 April 2025, at around 7 p.m., Mr. Pahabol was approached by a man whilst he was sitting on the roadside along Paradiso Road in Dekai. According to Mr. Pahabol, he had previously seen the man at the local police station and also during many of the peaceful demonstrations organised by FJFTS over the past months. Mr. Pahabol reportedly asked the man why he was standing so close to him and if he was a police officer. The man responded by saying that his occupation “was not your (Mr. Pahabol’s) business” and began beating and punching Mr. Pahabol. Mr. Pahabol was punched and beaten several times, receiving multiple blows and bruises to his head, eyes and temples. The man also reportedly stabbed him with a knife in the right shoulder. Mr. Pahabol managed to free himself and escape.
Following the incident, Mr. Pahabol experienced severe headache for several days but did not to go to a hospital for treatment nor did he report the case to the police as he feared further reprisals. A few days after the incident, he left Dekai. Until his departure from Dekai, Mr. Pahabol reportedly faced surveillance and harassment including by a number of vehicles, which would stay parked outside his boarding house at night and honk loudly for extended period of time in an apparent attempt to intimidate him and/or lure him outside.
On 28 May 2025, the Papua Regional Police reportedly submitted the case dossier concerning the alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Tobias Silak to the Prosecution Service of Indonesia/Prosecutor’s Office in Jayawijaya, Wamena identifying four BRIMOB officers as the alleged perpetrators of the shooting and extrajudicial killing. The public prosecutor, as per rules of procedures, composed the results the criminal investigation to be the criminal prosecution against the defendants. On 2 June 2025, the four BRIMOB officers, were transferred to Wamena.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express our concern about reports of intimidation and threats made against human rights defender Mr. Macho Pahabol. These acts of harassment and intimidation are seemingly connected to his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities and exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, which are guaranteed by international law. We are deeply concerned that Mr. Pahabol has been targeted because of his prominent work covering and denouncing human rights violations in Papua. Such actions not only undermine the rights of human rights defenders but also create a harmful “chilling effect” on civil society more broadly, deterring individuals and groups from exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and advocating for justice and resulting in a curtailment of the civic space, essential for any democracy. We also express concern about the alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Tobias Silak.
