Protecting the Right to Protest: International Solidarity with Indonesia #StopPoliceBrutality

A statement by Trend Asia and a coalition of international organizations condemning the use of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances by Indonesian security forces during protests in August 2025.

• On 28 and 29 August 2025, tens of thousands of Indonesian workers protested in several locations, including Manokwari, Semarang, Solo, Magelang, Medan, Bengkulu, Tegal, and Jakarta, demanding a 2026 minimum wage increase of 8.5–10%, an end to mass layoffs and outsourcing, tax reform, and legislative changes to labor and election laws.
• Protests on 25 August 2025, triggered by reports of lawmakers receiving housing allowances of 50 million rupiah ($3,000) per month amid mass layoffs and budget cuts, resulted in 351 arbitrary detentions (including 196 minors) and 12 injuries, according to KontraS.
• The Indonesian National Police (Polri) allegedly employed systematic violence during the 28 and 29 August protests, including torture, live bullet shootings, and the uncontrolled use of crowd-control weapons, leading to approximately 113 severe injuries, 734 arrests, and 3 deaths.
• A specific incident on 28 August 2025 in Jakarta resulted in the death of Affan Kurniawan, an online ride-hailing driver, who was run over by a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) tactical vehicle.
• The document alleges that the state is utilizing a pattern of stigmatization by claiming that civil society organizations are 'henchmen of foreign or western entities' (antek asing) and that demonstrations are orchestrated by actors outside Indonesia.
• The statement highlights a recurring pattern of police violence and enforced disappearances of students and activists, which the authors link to the 1998 authoritarian regime and attribute partly to Indonesia's failure to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED).
• The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPID) reportedly pressured media outlets on 28 August 2025 to avoid covering police brutality, which the document describes as a state-led information blackout.

APA

Yalcinkaya, C., Hanafi, T., Maulida, S., Abdullah, S., Oktaviana, G., Assifa, A., Putro, C. L. K., K, M., Au, X.-L., James, Kai, C. C., Vox, RESI, Faradilla, S., Mohideen, R., Arthayuda, B., Oktavian, R., Dewi, N. P. C., Banu, S., ... Wu, D. (2025). Protecting the Right to Protest: International Solidarity with Indonesia #StopPoliceBrutality. Trend Asia. https://trendasia.org/en/protecting-the-right-to-protest-international-solidarity-with-indonesia-stoppolicebrutality/

Chicago

Yalcinkaya, Can, Taufiq Hanafi, Safina Maulida, Shoeb Abdullah, Ganies Oktaviana, Achmad Assifa, Cyprianus Lilik Kridmantoro Putro, et al. Protecting the Right to Protest: International Solidarity with Indonesia #StopPoliceBrutality. Trend Asia, 2025. https://trendasia.org/en/protecting-the-right-to-protest-international-solidarity-with-indonesia-stoppolicebrutality/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Yalcinkaya |first1=Can |last2=Hanafi |first2=Taufiq |last3=Maulida |first3=Safina |last4=Abdullah |first4=Shoeb |last5=Oktaviana |first5=Ganies |last6=Assifa |first6=Achmad |last7=Putro |first7=Cyprianus Lilik Kridmantoro |last8=K |first8=Mathurin |last9=Au |first9=Xun-ling |display-authors=etal |title=Protecting the Right to Protest: International Solidarity with Indonesia #StopPoliceBrutality |publisher=Trend Asia |date=31 August 2025 |url=https://trendasia.org/en/protecting-the-right-to-protest-international-solidarity-with-indonesia-stoppolicebrutality/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{yalcinkaya2025protecting, author = {Yalcinkaya, Can and Hanafi, Taufiq and Maulida, Safina and Abdullah, Shoeb and Oktaviana, Ganies and Assifa, Achmad and Putro, Cyprianus Lilik Kridmantoro and K, Mathurin and Au, Xun-ling and James and Kai, Choo Chon and Vox and RESI and Faradilla, Saza and Mohideen, Reihana and Arthayuda, Bima and Oktavian, Raffy and Dewi, Ni Putu Candra and Banu, Syahar and Fuentes, Federico and Rahim, Nurashikin Binte A and Estrelita, Gloria Truly and Supatmi, Mamik Sri and Abdullah, Syahmi Zulfadhli and Basnet, Bikash and Waluyo, Eko and Simanjuntak, Atmaezer Hariara and Cho and Steven, Megan and Vijayabalan, Bernard and Fuentes, Ja and Pamungkas, Lea and Anand, Adhiraaj and Pierre and Corona, Reichele and Muhamad, Rahmat and Madalena and Rieger, Thomas and Deluna, Charles Zander and Yolanda, Betty and Aviles, Ellirie and Boyle, Peter and ZOUNDE, Etienne and de Jesus, Jhay and Mahagamage, Dulanjaya and Arachchige, Kasumi Ranasinghe and Siregar, Wildan and Barthélémy, OTOLORIN Adandé and Belo, Cristiana Ximenes and Sevilla, Celia L. and Attitaya and Awan, Fiza and Musa, Maya Kornelia and Kumar, Kanhaiya and Selhi, Myriam and Keng, Lulu and McConnell, Erin and Rahman, Lisabona and Giraldo, Alejandra Rojas and Holike, Christine and Choijil, Semjidmaa and Gautam, Ganga Bahadur and Wu, Di}, title = {{Protecting the Right to Protest: International Solidarity with Indonesia \#StopPoliceBrutality}}, publisher = {Trend Asia}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://trendasia.org/en/protecting-the-right-to-protest-international-solidarity-with-indonesia-stoppolicebrutality/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }