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

The document reports on a series of protests in Indonesia during August 2025, where tens of thousands of workers and students demanded wage increases, labor law reforms, and an end to mass layoffs. It details severe police brutality, including the death of Affan Kurniawan, mass arrests, and torture. The statement argues that these actions reflect a systemic pattern of repression and calls for the Indonesian government to end police violence, investigate abuses, and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED).

• Protests on 28 and 29 August 2025 involved tens of thousands of workers across several regions, including Manokwari, Semarang, Solo, Magelang, Medan, Bengkulu, and Tegal, with a primary focus in Jakarta. Protesters sought a 2026 minimum wage increase of 8.5–10%, the abolition of outsourcing, a halt to mass layoffs, and the enactment of a new labor law following Constitutional Court Decision No. 168/2024.
• Demonstrations on 25 August 2025, triggered by reports of lawmakers receiving housing allowances of 50 million rupiah ($3,000) amid mass layoffs of over 80,000 workers, resulted in 12 injured civilians and 351 arbitrary detentions, including 196 minors.
• The Indonesian National Police (Polri) used excessive force during the 28 and 29 August protests, leading to approximately 113 severe injuries, 3 deaths, and 734 arrests. This included the death of Affan Kurniawan, a ride-hailing driver killed after being run over by a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) tactical vehicle in Jakarta.
• The document asserts that state violence in Indonesia follows a recurring pattern of repression seen in previous protests, such as the 2019 Reformasi Dikorupsi, 2020 Omnibus Law, 2023 Rempang National Strategic Projects, and 2024 Peringatan Darurat.
• There is a documented pattern of enforced disappearances of students and activists, which the document links to a legal vacuum caused by 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} }