GURAGE VILLAGE, PAPUA, INDONESIA – MARCH 17, 2010 Footage shows Indonesian soldiers beating and kicking Papuan civilians suspected of having links to armed separatists and possessing weapons during an interrogation. The soldiers question the villagers about alleged weapons caches and physically attack them after becoming dissatisfied with their answers. The incident occurred during an operation conducted by members of the 753rd Battalion in the Puncak Jaya area.
In November 2010, a military court in Jayapura sentenced four soldiers involved in the incident. The unit commander, Second Lieutenant Cosmos N., received seven months in prison, while Syahminan Husein Lubis, Joko Sulistiono, and Dwi Purwanto were each sentenced to five months. The court found them guilty of disobeying orders, rather than a separate criminal offense of torture. Human Rights Watch subsequently criticized the short sentences and the proceedings, during which no independent witnesses were called.
