On 22 September 2026, members of the Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps (Marinir) allegedly apprehended Nisel Payage, a teenager, in front of a shop in Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province. The arrest was reportedly carried out without due process. Nisel Payage was subsequently taken away and his whereabouts remained unknown to his family.
According to the information received, Nisel Payage had travelled from his home village to Dekai approximately one week before the incident. On 22 September 2026, he was reportedly standing in front of a shop in Dekai as members of the Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps approached and apprehended him without showing a warrant. No information was provided as to what legal grounds were given for his detention, or whether he was subsequently transferred to the police or another competent civilian authority. It remains unclear where whether Nisel Payage has been formally charged with a criminal offence or later being released after several hours of detention.
Human rights analysis
The reported circumstances raise serious concerns regarding the right to liberty and security of person and the prohibition of arbitrary arrest and detention. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) requires that anyone deprived of liberty be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for the arrest and be promptly informed of any charges. A detained person must also be brought promptly before a judicial authority and must be able to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. The competent authorities should disclose the legal basis under which Marine personnel apprehended Nisel Payage, the unit responsible for the operation, the identities of the personnel involved and the authority to which he was transferred.
Where state agents deprive a person of liberty and subsequently conceal the person's fate or whereabouts, placing that individual outside the protection of the law, the circumstances may raise concerns relating to enforced disappearance. The authorities therefore have an obligation to establish and disclose without delay whether Nisel Payage is in state custody, identify his place of detention and ensure that any deprivation of liberty is officially registered and subject to appropriate judicial safeguards.
Given that Nisel Payage is described as a teenager, his precise age should be established urgently. If he was under 18 at the time of arrest, additional protections applicable to children deprived of their liberty would apply, including under Articles 37 and 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Detention of a child must be lawful, used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period, while access to legal assistance and contact with family members must be ensured.
Detailed case data
Document ID: HRM-CAS-142-2026
Location: Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia (-4.8638158, 139.4837298)
Region: Indonesia > Highland Papua > Yahukimo > Dekai
Total number of victims: 1
1. Nisel Payage, male minor Indigenous Peoples arbitrary detention
Period of incident: 22/09/2026-22/09/2026
Perpetrator: Republic Indonesia > Indonesian Security Forces > Indonesian Military (TNI) > Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
Perpetrator details: Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps (Marinir)
Issues: indigenous peoples, women and children
Source: https://humanrightsmonitor.org/case/teenager-arbitrarily-detained-by-marines-personnel-in-dekai