Indonesian army apologises after viral Papua torture video

In the country’s Papua region, where armed separatists have clashed with security forces for years, the Indonesian army issued a rare apology on Monday ( Mar 25 ) and said 13 soldiers had been detained.

A Native man was seen being cut with a knife in a video that went viral on Indonesian social advertising. Izak Pangemanan, a top officer in the army, confirmed that the event took place in February.

According to him,” This actions goes against the law, denigrates efforts to resolve problems in Papua, and undermines efforts to resolve conflicts there,” he told reporters.

” I apologise to all Papuans, and we will work to ensure this is never repeated”, he said.

Pangemanan claimed that the separatist in the movie was a separatist who planned to lose a hospital in Central Papua with two others, and that he had been freed after the incident.

Animal rights group Amnesty International, which collects data of crime in Papua, said the man had died. It demanded that foot men as well as higher-ranking officials be held accountable.

Since armed separatists and troops have been fighting since Indonesia’s east area, Papua, was put under Indonesia’s control in a 1969 vote overseen by the UN, was a resource-rich region.

Since 2018, the conflict has gotten worse and worse with more frequent and deadly attacks, mostly because they have been able to get more advanced weapons.

Protection forces say that in some confrontations, separatists have killed officers and men.