Kontras assesses that the police made a mistake in handling the August 25, 2025 demonstration in Indonesia
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) believes the police mishandled the protests that took place from August 25 to September 4, 2025, in various regions of Indonesia.
Kontras Coordinator, Dimas Bagus Arya, recorded that at least 2,800 protesters were arrested in Medan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Jakarta, and several other cities.
“We believe this is a misguided action and tends to scapegoat certain groups,” he said on Wednesday (September 10, 2025).
“Forced security measures are not recognized in the legal category. So, these are illegal arrests carried out arbitrarily by the police,” he explained.
He believes that the crackdown on activists and social media users actually limits the public’s right to freedom of expression. “People who post or express their disappointment are considered provocateurs,” he said.
“To be honest, those who deserve to be considered provocateurs are actually public officials or political elites who are unable to respond to public demands,” he concluded.
