Papua's Human Rights Commission Office Attacked with Molotov Cocktail

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Papua representative office of the Indoensian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jayapura City, Papua, was attacked with a Molotov cocktail by an unknown individual this morning, Wednesday, September 9, 2026. According to the head of Komnas HAM Papua, Frits Ramandey, the incident occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time.

The attacker threw a Molotov cocktail near a wall-mounted air conditioning compressor unit and several motorcycles parked nearby. "[The molotov cocktail] was deliberately thrown at several motorcycles to set them ablaze," Frits said in a video received by Tempo on Wednesday.

Frits said the perpetrator immediately fled the scene after throwing the Molotov cocktail, but the explosive, containing one liter of gasoline, did not explode and only shattered.

According to Frits, the incident was a clear terror attack directed at Komnas HAM. He called on authorities to arrest the attacker, which could be made possible due to the CCTV footage that could serve as evidence.

"I will swiftly coordinate with the police to arrest the perpetrator today, to break the chain of crime and terror against Komnas HAM as a national human rights institution," said Frits, while showing the scene of the incident, along with broken bottles and wicks.

Responding to the incident, Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai urged the Papua Regional Police to probe the alleged Molotov attack through an objective lens, since it concerns the security of a human rights institution. 

According to Pigai, an investigation is necessary to establish evidence-based facts and perpetrators to avoid fueling speculation or accusations against any particular party. "We cannot accuse any institution ofconducting the attack, it must be based on the results of an objective investigation by law enforcement officials," he said.