Army commanders in Indonesia have apologised to the people of the Papua region - after video emerged of an indigenous man being tortured. 13 soldiers were arrested and questioned. Army commanders say the man in the video was a member of an armed separatist group, who was planning to set fire to a health centre.

Papua

Thirteen soldiers from the Indonesian army have been arrested following the emergence of a video showing the torture of an indigenous man in the Papua region. The video, which prompted widespread condemnation, led to an official apology from the army commanders to the people of Papua. The incident involved the arrest and questioning of the soldiers implicated in the mistreatment captured in the footage.

According to army commanders, the man subjected to torture in the video was identified as a member of an armed separatist group. They alleged he had plans to commit arson by setting fire to a health center. This claim provides some context to the circumstances surrounding the man's capture and subsequent torture, albeit under controversial and internationally condemned methods.



Thirteen Indonesian soldiers arrested over torture video

This is what sparked outrage in Indonesia. Taken by Indonesian soldiers, video shows an indigenous Papuan being tortured. Al Jazeera has decided not to show the graphic video. The man was forced into a barrel, beaten so hard that his ears bled and cut repeatedly with a knife as the water around him turns red. The soldiers laugh and say keep cutting him. All over Papua, human rights abuses, impunity, torture, racism, they keep on going out and being committed by Indonesian soldiers and Indonesian police. They often apologise, but they repeat the torture again, the abuses again, again and again. There have been decades of conflict between security forces and separatist groups in Indonesia's easternmost provinces. Human rights advocates have long accused the military and police of violations in Papua, including torture and extrajudicial killings. These student demonstrators say they are demanding justice for the victim and an end to violence by security forces in Papua. They're also calling for an end to military operations in the region. The students say high-ranking commanders need to be held to account as well as soldiers on the ground. The more troops are deployed, the more conflicts will occur on Papuan land. They have deeply hurt our hearts with criminal acts. Thirteen soldiers were arrested following the incident. The army alleges the man in the video was a member of an armed separatist group planning to set fire to a health centre. He has since been released. Before we handed him over to the family, we also treated him with medical treatment. We gave him medical treatment first, so we had to convince that he was in good condition. And we also tried to build a good relationship also with the family. The incoming president, Prabowo Subianto, has pledged to strengthen the presence of security personnel in Papua. He has been accused of human rights violations during his time as a special forces commander in the late 90s, but never charged. Rights groups accuse Indonesia's government of banning international media and rights monitors from Papua, and say that means there are many more violations that go unseen and unheard. Jessica Washington, Al Jazeera, Jakarta.

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