Indonesia has witnessed violent crackdowns on protests, with reports of arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, unlawful killings, and digital attacks. In this letter, CIVICUS urges the government to independently investigate all violations, hold security forces to account, release detained protesters, and halt restrictions on internet access.
To:
H.E. Budi Gunawan
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No. 15,
Central Jakarta, Indonesia
2 September 2025
Indonesia: Investigate violations during protest crackdown and hold security forces to account
Dear Minister,
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is a global alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society worldwide. Founded in 1993, CIVICUS has over 15,000 members in 175 countries.
We are writing to raise concern over the recent police crackdown on protests sparked by reports that the 580 members of the House of Representatives have been receiving a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,030), ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta. According to reports from human rights groups, on 25 August 2025, police and military personnel in Jakarta disrupted a mass protest near the House of Representatives using water cannons and tear gas. At least 351 people, among them 196 children, were arbitrarily arrested.
On 28 August 2025, protests were held across various provinces in Indonesia including in Jakarta. Protesters had various demands related to wages, a halt to mass layoffs, the abolition of outsourcing, comprehensive tax reform, and the enactment of a new labour law among other concerns. According to information received by CIVICUS, security forces carried out over a thousand arrests, including at least 600 in Jakarta. There were also reports of excessive force, with more than a hundred injured. Additionally, allegations of ill-treatment were raised, including physical attacks and incidents of unlawful killings. Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle taxi rider, was killed after being run over by a tactical vehicle belonging to the police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) during the protest.
In the city of Solo, Central Java province, a pedicab driver allegedly died due to exposure to tear gas fired by police during a protest on 29 August 2025. In Yogyakarta, a student died on 30 August 2025 after allegedly being beaten by police who were also firing tear gas at protesters near the police headquarters.
The National Police Chief also instructed police officers to use rubber bullets against protesters who had entered the compound of the Jakarta Police’s Mobile Brigade Headquarters. These weapons should only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as situations involving violent disorder that poses an imminent threat of serious harm to others.
CIVICUS is also concerned about reports from human rights groups of digital attacks targeting individuals who voiced their criticism on social media. These include doxxing, gender-based online violence, and other cyberattacks. Authorities further disrupted internet access and restricted information flow, including the suspension of TikTok’s livestream feature, which had become a vital tool for documenting protests in real time.
Rather than addressing legitimate concerns raised by protesters, efforts have been made to smear and vilify the protests by suggesting that they were orchestrated by foreign actors seeking to destabilise the country.
These actions are inconsistent with international law and standards on the right to peaceful assembly and expression. These rights are guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which Indonesia ratified through Law No. 12 of 2005. and the Indonesian Constitution.
The use of force has a direct impact on the right to life, which is protected under Article 6 of ICCPR. The use of force is therefore subject to strict human rights safeguards as set out in the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (1979) and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990). The use of force by law enforcement officials in Indonesia is further regulated by the Indonesian Chief of Police Regulation on the Use of Force in Police Action (No. 1/2009) which requires adherence to the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, prevention, and reasonableness.
Further, any disruption to the internet and the blocking of access to digital tools that are used to document and report abuses undermine the right to freedom of expression guaranteed under the ICCPR and the constitution.
We therefore request your office to take the following steps:
- Publicly condemn at the highest levels all instances of the use of excessive force by security forces in response to protests.
- Independently and impartially investigate all violations during the protests especially ill-treatment and extrajudicial killings and hold the perpetrators to account
- Unconditionally and immediately release all protesters, especially children, detained for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and drop any investigations or charges brought against them
- Review, and if necessary, update existing human rights training for police and security forces, in collaboration with independent civil society organisations, to ensure consistent application of international human rights standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.
- Halt any restrictions on internet access, including to social media platforms, and investigate all digital attacks against protesters and those voicing their criticism on social media.
- Uphold international human rights standards that Indonesia is a signatory to.
Sincerely,
Reylynne Dela Paz
Advocacy and Campaigns Lead
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
CC:
- H.E. Natalius Pigai, Minister for Human Rights
- H.E. Tito Karnavian, Minister of Home Affairs
