Jakarta, 26 August 2025 – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) denounces and calls for accountability to all acts of violence, repression, and excessive force committed by the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) during the security operation against the mass protest opposing the increase in allowances for members of the House of Representatives (DPR), which took place on 25 August 2025 in the DPR complex area, Central Jakarta. Merely ten days after the Pati Protest, the recurrence of violent, repressive, and excessive measures has further aggravated the state of civil liberties in Indonesia.
Based on the documentation gathered, a total of 1,250 security personnel comprising a joint force of police officers from the local and regional police (Polres and Polda), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the Jakarta provincial government were deployed to secure the mass protest. Demonstrators began gathering at the protest site from 9:00 a.m. on 25 August, voicing their dissatisfaction to DPR’s leadership, which they deemed unempathetic to the economic turbulence of the Indonesian people.
Unfortunately, the 25 August protest did not last long, as by 12:40 p.m., the crowd was pushed away from the DPR complex using water cannons and further dispersed with tear gas (some of which, again, was reportedly expired). The use of water cannons and tear gas was not limited to the protest site but extended to surrounding areas, including Bendungan Hilir, Palmerah, and Pejompongan. At least 351 individuals were arbitrarily detained, of whom 196 were children.
In response, KontraS assesses that the security forces engaged in practices of silencing by dispersing the mass protest. The rights to expression is supposedly guaranteed under Article 28E(2) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia (UUD NRI 1945), which states, “Everyone is free to believe in their convictions and to express their thoughts and attitudes according to their conscience,” and Article 28E(3), which provides that “Everyone has the right to associate, assemble, and express opinions” and to actively participate in public affairs by expressing criticism of state policies, as stipulated in Article 28C(2) of the Constitution.
The rights to freedom of expression is also protected under numerous Indonesian legal instruments, including Article 19(1) and (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 23(2) of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights (UU HAM), Law No. 9 of 1998 on the Freedom to Express Opinions in Public (UU 9/1998), and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). These provisions clearly affirm that every individual has the right to express opinions without interference or obstruction from anyone.
Furthermore, KontraS views that the situation, which was deemed increasingly unconducive by the Police, and the framing of the protesters as part of anarchist groups, was used as a justification for the excessive use of force by the Police. This clearly resulted in continued violent excesses well into the night and widespread damage. The use of tear gas did not stop at the protest site but was also indiscriminately fired towards residential areas.
It is clear that in exercising its authority, the Police must stick to the principles of legality, proportionality, and necessity. This is in line with the Chief of the Indonesian National Police Regulation No. 16 of 2006 on Guidelines for Crowd Control (Perkap 16/2006) in conjunction with Chief of Police Regulation No. 1 of 2009 on the Use of Force (Perkap 1/2009) and Perkap No. 8 of 2009 on the Implementation of Human Rights Principles and Standards (Perkap 8/2009).
Moreover, the Police must take into account the United Nations Guidelines on Non-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement, which explicitly prohibit the arbitrary use of weapons such as tear gas to disperse protests. These guidelines also stipulate that tear gas must be deployed from a safe distance with the trajectory directed upwards. Unfortunately, during the 25 August mass protest, tear gas was still fired directly and indiscriminately.
Once again, the increasingly unconducive situation and the widespread labeling of protesters as part of anarchist groups resulted in the arbitrary detention of 351 demonstrators by the Police. The arrests were not limited to the protest site; the Police also conducted sweeps in residential areas, restaurants, and shopping centers.
These actions clearly violate the Chief of the Indonesian National Police Regulation No. 8 of 2009 on the Implementation of Human Rights Principles and Standards (Perkap 8/2009). Specifically, Article 11 of this regulation prohibits any police officer from carrying out arbitrary arrests and detentions or employing excessive force. These provisions are in line with Article 18 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights (UU 39/1999), Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Articles 60 and 61 of the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
Within this basis, KontraS urges:
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The President of the Republic of Indonesia to instruct the Indonesian National Police to respect freedom of expression, to halt all forms of criminalization of civil society, and to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future;
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The Indonesian National Police (Polri) to immediately release all arbitrarily detained protesters unconditionally, to cease the use of repressive and excessive security measures during public demonstrations, and to take firm action by investigating, prosecuting, and holding accountable any officers involved in acts of violence or arbitrary detention through proper criminal justice procedures;
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Komnas HAM, Komnas Perempuan, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency, and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission to play a more active role in exercising their functions and authorities in relation to this incident.
Jakarta, 27 August 2025
KontraS Coordinator
Dimas Bagus Arya
Contact Person : (+62) 895348175043
KontraS
Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan
