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Protests Over Inequality and Perks Shake Indonesia as Police Accused of Rights Abuses

  • Human Rights Research Center
  • Sep 5
  • 3 min read

September 5, 2025


HRRC condemns the brutal crackdown on protestors by Indonesian police and authorities. Beating, gassing and detaining protesters is an assault on democracy and a blatant violation of human rights.

Protesters brandish brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, and ending police brutality and lawmakers’ perks, outside the Indonesian parliament building in Jakarta, September 3, 2025. [Image credit: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]
Protesters brandish brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, and ending police brutality and lawmakers’ perks, outside the Indonesian parliament building in Jakarta, September 3, 2025. [Image credit: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]

Indonesia is facing its most turbulent week in years as nationwide protests, sparked by parliamentary perks and economic inequality, have escalated into violent clashes marked by heavy police crackdowns and human rights concerns.


After lawmakers authorized expensive housing allowances despite austerity measures that reduced funding for health and education, riots broke out in Jakarta on August 25. After a video of a police armoured vehicle killing 21-year-old motorbike taxi driver Affan Kurniawan went viral, the discontent intensified. Witnesses described the incident as a hit-and-run, which led to widespread protests in about 50 cities.


Protesters, who are composed largely of students, workers and gig drivers, have demanded fairer labor policies, wage increases and accountability for police violence. Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, report at least 10 deaths, hundreds injured, and around 20 protesters missing. Some 3,000 people have been detained nationwide, including underage students held without parental or legal access.


The widespread use of tear gas on Bandung university campuses, which left students hurt and suffering respiratory issues, is one instance of police use of excessive force. Arrests without warrants and beatings in custody have been reported by witnesses and legal aid organisations. Seven policemen were penalized, according to the National Police chief, who also expressed regret for particular incidents.


President Prabowo Subianto has attempted to calm tensions by rolling back legislative perks while simultaneously warning against “treason and terrorism,” a stance critics say risks legitimizing further repression. Analysts argue the crisis reflects deeper democratic decay, with policing still shaped by authoritarian legacies.


With labor unions, women’s groups and students vowing to continue mobilizing, observers warn Indonesia now stands at a crossroad between dialogue and repression.


Glossary 


  • Allowances: Money or benefits given regularly, often as support or perks.

  • Armored vehicles: Strongly protected cars or trucks used by the military or police.

  • Austerity: Strict economic measures that reduce government spending.

  • Authoritarian: A system or leader that demands strict control and little freedom.

  • Crossroad: A point where an important decision must be made.

  • Custody: Being kept under police control or in jail.

  • Decay: Slow decline or weakening.

  • Detained: Kept in police control, not allowed to leave.

  • Discontent: Unhappiness or dissatisfaction.

  • Escalated: Grew worse or became more intense.

  • Gig drivers: People working as drivers for apps, often on short-term jobs.

  • Hit-and-run: An accident where the driver escapes without helping or reporting.

  • Labor unions: Worker groups that fight for better wages and conditions.

  • Legacies: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

  • Legislative: Related to making laws.

  • Legitimizing: to make something legal or acceptable.

  • Mobilizing: to organize or prepare something, such as a group of people, for a purpose.

  • Parental access: Permission for parents to see or be with their children.

  • Perks: Extra benefits apart from regular pay.

  • Regret: A feeling of sadness about something that happened.

  • Repression: Using force to control people or silence them.

  • Respiratory issues: Problems with breathing or the lungs.

  • Riots: Violent protests by a large crowd.

  • Terrorism: Violence used to spread fear for political or other goals.

  • Tear gas: A chemical used by police to make people’s eyes and throats burn so they leave an area.

  • Treason: Betrayal of one’s country.

  • Turbulent: Full of disorder, conflict, or trouble.

  • Vowing: Promising very strongly.

  • Wages: Money earned for working.

  • Warrant: a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or another body to make an arrest, search premises or carry out some other action.


Sources



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