In commemoration of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2025, The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) released an annual report on the Situation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Indonesia, thus entitled “The State Fails to Reform, Torture Keeps Recurring”. The title was chosen based on the organization’s monitoring, which found no significant changes in the government’s efforts to prevent the recurrence of torture incidents. The monitoring took place during the period of June 2024 to May 2025 which later shows an increasing number of torture incidents and victims compared to the previous year.
Monitoring by KontraS from June 2024 to May 2025 recorded 66 torture incidents which led to 139 victims, with 23 deaths and 116 injured. The majority of victims, namely 144 people, were non-criminal (ordinary) civilians, and other 25 victims suspected of criminal offense are serving a sentence in a correctional facility.
Based on KontraS’ monitoring, The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has been a persistent dominant institution whose officers were involved in numerous torture incidents, where 36 cases were recorded, followed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) with 23 incidents, detention center officer and correctional facility was recorded as being involved in 7 incidents of torture.
The various acts of torture which are still often carried out by the state apparatus is regrettable since article 28I of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia expressly guarantees the right not to be tortured as one of non-derogable right. Thus, the recurrence of torture incident is a blatant violation to the Constitution. Aside from this, Indonesia has also ratified Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment through Law Number 5 of 1998, also International Covenant On Civil and Political Rights through Law Number 12 of 2005. Both of those international treaties firmly declare that there shall be no way of justification for the state to commit acts of torture, and the right to freedom from the torture is a non-derogable right. Hence, the recurrence of torture incident every year is a violation to Indonesian goverment’s commitment to protect the human rights of its citizens.
On the other side, various state institutions such as The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), Indonesia Commission for Child Protection (KPAI), The Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), Ombudsman and The National Commission for Disability has taken the initiative to form a Cooperation for the Prevention of Torture (KuPP). However, the lack of government commitment to seriously supporting these institutions has rendered the initiative less than fully effective.
The report (which is still in Indonesian language) aims to provide readers with an overview of torture cases in Indonesia and to enrich the human rights discourse in the country. This report also expected serve as a reference for the government to undertake serious reforms and demonstrate its commitment to eliminating and preventing recurring acts of torture, particularly in the context of law enforcement.
Jakarta, June 25, 2025
Executive Board of KontraS
Dimas Bagus Arya
The Coordinator
The full report can be accessed here (Indonesia language)
KontraS
Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan
