Unresolved Tragedy: The Need for Justice in the Murder of Pastor Yeremia

JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS – Four years after the tragic torture and murder of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani (68), the investigation into the case involving members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) remains incomplete, with justice still elusive and violence persisting in Papua, according to Amnesty International Indonesia.

“The fate of Pastor Yeremia is just one of many extrajudicial killings in Papua involving military personnel that lack proper and effective resolution. The investigation into this case has not fulfilled the demand for justice,” stated Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

On the afternoon of September 19, 2020, Pastor Yeremia was brutally tortured and shot in his pigpen located in Bomba Village, Intan Jaya District, Papua. A church leader in Papua, who communicated with the victim’s family shortly after the incident, indicated that TNI personnel were responsible for the violence.

Initially, authorities, including police and military, denied the incident. The Papua Police claimed it was an act by an armed criminal group seeking global attention before the upcoming UN General Assembly.

However, investigations by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), a joint fact-finding team led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, and independent community activists concluded that security forces were indeed involved in the murder.

Investigations revealed that Pastor Yeremia died from blood loss after being shot in the left arm from less than one meter away and subjected to other forms of violence, including being forced to kneel. Evidence of this abuse was found on his body.