A group of Indonesian activists, Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, Muzaffar Salim, Khariq Anhar, Syahdan Hussein, Wawan Hermawan, Saiful Amin, Shelfin Bima Prakosa, and Muhammad ‘Paul’ Fakhrurrozi have played active roles in student movements, civil society advocacy, and grassroots efforts to hold the government accountable.
Between 25 August and 1 September 2025, Indonesia saw one of its largest post-Reform era protest waves. Protests erupted in Jakarta and at least 15 other provinces, driven by public frustration with economic hardship and government budget policies perceived as neglecting ordinary people.
According to human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the authorities responded with arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and excessive force against peaceful demonstrators. More than 4,000 people are reported to have been detained in connection with the protests including journalist on duty reporting the protests.
The eight activists mentioned above were arrested individually as part of a broader crackdown. They are among a reported 959 people who were arbitrarily arrested and formally charged in connection with the protests. They face charges including “incitement to violence” under Article 160 of the Criminal Code, and hate-speech or electronic information law offences under Articles 28(3) and 45A(3) of the ITE Law.
Official human rights bodies in Indonesia have urged the police and other authorities to release detained protesters and ensure legal safeguards, while independent media and activist organisations report widespread disruption of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
As the Rights Defenders Initiative (RDI), we condemn the arbitrary detentions, the use of vague legal provisions to criminalise peaceful protest, and the excessive force deployed against civilians in Indonesia. We call upon the Government of Indonesia to uphold its obligations under international human rights law to ensure freedom of assembly and expression, and to release those held without charge. We also urge the international community to support independent monitoring, hold perpetrators to account, and ensure that human rights standards are not undermined by repression.
References
- https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/activists-face-criminal-charges-peaceful-protests
- https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/indonesia-authorities-must-investigate-eight-deaths-following-violent-crackdown-on-protests/
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/03/indonesia-end-crackdown-on-protesters-arbitrary-detention
- https://en.antaranews.com/news/379633/six-human-rights-agencies-launch-independent-probe-into-august-unrest/
- https://aji.or.id/informasi/journalists-silenced-violence-and-interference-disrupt-protests-august-25-30-2025/
