A separatist group reportedly assaulted a mother and her child in Indonesia.

Footage shows two women, allegedly a mother and her child, tied and hanged by a group of men in the village of Biandoga, Central Papua province, on Friday, July 11.

The younger woman, believed to be the child, appears bare-chested. She attempts to rest her feet against the pole, but a man is seen using a stick to remove them.

Both of the apparent victims were released alive.

Local media reported that the attack was carried out by members of the West Papua National Liberation Army – Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) in the Biandoga District of Intan Jaya Regency.

A man in the video, claiming to be the leader of the operation, explains that the mother was punished because she is believed to have resisted and is thought to be responsible for the disappearance of her husband.

He added: 'I did this. I'm the operations supervisor, and this is the first warning on behalf of the Walani tribe.'

The suspect further warned that similar actions would be taken against other women who were believed to have committed the same offence.

OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom denied the involvement of TPNPB forces in the incident.

Sebby said: 'We don't know yet, and it's probably a matter of ethnicity and customs of the people in the video, and it has nothing to do with the TPNPB war.'

The Indonesian government or military has made no official statement.

The Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) is the armed wing of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM), a separatist group that seeks independence for the Papua region of Indonesia. The group has been involved in a long-running insurgency against the Indonesian government, demanding self-determination for the indigenous Papuan people. Their fight is fueled by grievances over human rights abuses and a lack of political autonomy in the region.