Indonesia: Activists Face Criminal Charges For Peaceful Protests
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.