URGENT ACTION

ACTIVISTS FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR PEACEFUL PROTESTS
Eight activists – Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, Muzaffar Salim, Khariq Anhar, Syahdan Husein, Wawan Hermawan, Saiful Amin, Shelfin Bima Prakosa, and Muhammad ‘Paul’ Fakhrurrozi – have been arbitrarily arrested and charged with criminal offenses solely for protesting or using social media in support of recent protests. Their cases are part of a broader violent crackdown by the Indonesian Police on nationwide demonstrations that began on 25 August 2025. 

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER
General Listyo Sigit Prabowo
 Chief of Indonesian National Police
 Indonesian National Police Headquarter
 Jl. Trunojoyo No.3, Jakarta Selatan
 DKI Jakarta, Indonesia 12110
 Phone: +62 21 7218396
 Email: mabes@polri.go.id, kapolri@polri.go.id  
 Twitter: @ListyoSigitP  
 
Dear Mr. Listyo Sigit Prabowo,
 
I am writing to express my deep concern about the ongoing criminal prosecution of Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, Muzaffar Salim, Khariq Anhar, Syahdan Husein, Wawan Hermawan, Saiful Amin, Shelfin Bima Prakosa, and Muhammad ‘Paul’ Fakhrurrozi, who are facing six to 12 years’ imprisonment for simply expressing their opinions and posting on social media in support of the recent nationwide protests in Indonesia. All remain in the custody of the police.
 
As you will be aware, the eight activists were arrested and charged separately between 29 August to 18 September 2025. Authorities accused them of “inciting violence” for either voicing their opinions during protests or uploading Instagram posts related to the protests, such as information on a legal aid hotline for student protesters and an edited screenshot of a news article meant as satirical content. 
 
It is distressing to learn that they are among 959 people who have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, and subsequently charged with multiple offences amid police crackdown on protests in several cities. Amnesty International found that the violent crackdown on protesters included unlawful use of force, such as physical violence and the disproportionate use of less lethal weapons, such as water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets – that left nearly a thousand people wounded.
 
I am alarmed that the eight activists face criminal charges simply for protesting or supporting the protests. I respectfully remind you that isolated incidents of violence by some protesters do not deprive others of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, let alone allowing authorities to use the criminal law as a reprisal for dissent. For these reasons, I urge you to:
·         Immediately release and drop the charges against Delpedro, Muzaffar, Khariq, Syahdan, Wawan, Saiful, Shelfin, Paul and others who were arbitrarily arrested and detained solely for protesting or supporting the protests;
·        End the criminalization against activists and other people who express dissents and ensure that everyone can exercise their rights to assemble peacefully and express their opinions.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information
Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, Muzaffar Salim, Khariq Anhar, Syahdan Hussein, Wawan Hermawan, Saiful Amin, Shelfin Bima Prakosa, and Muhammad ‘Paul’ Fakhrurrozi are Indonesian activists. They have been engaged in student movements, civil society advocacy, as well as grassroots initiatives promoting government accountability.
From 25 August to 1 September 2025, Indonesia witnessed one of the largest waves of protests in the post-Reform era. Protests erupted in Jakarta and at least 15 other provinces, sparked by public anger over economic hardship and state budget policies perceived as neglecting the people. Amnesty International found that security forces used unlawful force, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation against peaceful protesters.
The eight activists were arrested separately as part of a broader crackdown on protests by the police, which many described as the largest scale of repression in decades. The activists were accused of “inciting violence” during the recent protests. Authorities charged them under several articles, including Article 160 of the Criminal Code on incitement to violence and Article 28(3) and Article 45A(3) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law on hate speech. According to the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), many of these arrests were carried out without legal basis or official warrants. Police also seized books, documents, and electronic devices belonging to activists and civil society organizations, marking a pattern of expanding criminalization.
Delpedro, Muzaffar, Khariq, Syahdan, and Wawan are currently detained at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Office. Saiful and Shelfin remain in the custody of the Kediri City Police in East Java Province, while Paul is detained at the East Java Police Office. They are among 959 individuals who had been arbitrarily arrested and formally charged in relation to the recent protests. 
Their cases illustrate the escalating trend of repression in recent years. Amnesty International has highlighted the government’s continued use of vague provisions in the Criminal Code and ITE Law to silence critics instead of safeguarding the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. 
During a series of protests that started from 25 August to 1 September 2025, Amnesty International Indonesia recorded that more than 4,000 people had been arbitrarily arrested. Furthermore, more than 560 people were subjected to intimidation and physical violence, including being beaten and wounded by rubber bullets, while more than 300 people were injured or affected by the unnecessary and excessive use of tear gas and water cannons. At least 11 people have died since the protests started, including university students, public employees, and a motorcycle taxi driver who was killed after an armoured police vehicle in Jakarta run over him. As of 6 October, only the death of the motorcycle taxi driver in Jakarta was being investigated by the police.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: [English or Indonesian]
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL:  28 December 2025
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: [Delpedro Marhaen (he/him); Muzaffar Salim (he/him); Khariq Anhar (he/him); Syahdan Husein (he/him); Wawan Hermawan (he/him); Saiful Amin (he/him); Shelfin Bima Prakosa (he/him); and Muhammad Fakhrurrozi (he/him)] 

Additional targets

His Excellency Dr Desra Percaya
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
30 Great Peter Street SW1P 2BU
020 7499 7661
Fax 020 7491 4993
contact@indonesianembassy.org.uk
https://kemlu.go.id/london 
Monday-Friday 09.00-17.00
Salutation: Your Excellency