KAWE, PAPUA, INDONESIA – JULY 19, 2022 In a remote area of Papua Province, civilian gold miner Adis Haryadi was killed. The man was attacked by armed separatists from the TPNPB organization, who killed him with machetes. After the killing, they severed his head from his body and took it with them. According to the Indonesian authorities, Adis Haryadi was a civilian who worked as a gold miner and a shopkeeper at a local store.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom later stated that the deceased was actually a member of Indonesian military intelligence posing as a civilian. The Indonesian military and police rejected this claim, stating that the investigation found no evidence linking the victim to the security forces.
The incident occurred during the long-running armed conflict in which separatist groups seek independence from Indonesia. In recent years, not only members of the security forces but also civilians whom the separatists suspect of cooperating with the Indonesian state have repeatedly become targets of their attacks.
