Cipayung Plus and GMNI Students Urge an End to Criminalization of Activists
A number of students from the Cipayung Plus group and the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI) arrived at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday evening (September 4, 2025). They expressed their opposition to the criminalization of activists and demanded the release of those currently detained.
GMNI Chairman Muhammad Risyad Fahlefi emphasized that the main goal of this action was to ensure the immediate release of criminalized activists. He also called on the government to form an independent investigative team to review the treason charges and promote policies that favor the people.
“We don’t want any citizen imprisoned by the state for voicing their opinion,” Risyad emphasized.
The students’ aspirations were received directly by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto.
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto ensured that all student aspirations would be forwarded to President Prabowo Subianto. “We will convey this directly to the President so that the government will take the students’ demands seriously,” he said.
In addition to GMNI and Cipayung Plus, representatives from the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the People’s Student Association (SI Rakyatatan) also attended the Palace to voice similar concerns. The presence of these various student groups affirmed their commitment to the government’s guarantee of freedom of expression and the end of all forms of criminalization of popular movements.
