5 Things to Know About ITB Student's Detention and Release Over Prabowo-Jokowi Meme

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The detention of an Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) student who created a meme of Presidents Prabowo Subianto and Jokowi has been suspended by the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

The suspension of detention for SSS was granted based on requests from the suspect, their parents, legal counsel, and ITB.

The ITB student who uploaded the meme had been held in the Bareskrim detention center since May 7, 2025.

Detention Suspended

Trunoyudo stated that the suspect expressed remorse and had good intentions not to repeat similar actions.

"The suspect and their family also conveyed apologies to Mr. Prabowo and Jokowi," he said. Currently, the suspect has returned to their parent's home. Trunoyudo claimed that SSS was in good health despite having been detained.

ITB's Director of Communication and Public Relations, Neneng Nurlaela Arif, thanked all parties who assisted in the suspension of SSS's detention.

“SSS has been granted a suspension of detention by the police, and ITB will continue to conduct academic and character development for the student,” said Nurlaela on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

It's a Blow to Democracy, Says Law Lecturer

Criminal law lecturer from Trisakti University, Abdul Fickar Hadjar, stated that the arrest and detention of the ITB student were excessive and had hurt democracy.

"The detention of the ITB student is an excessive and ridiculous action," he said on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

Abdul Fickar argued that in the case of the Prabowo-Jokowi meme, the police as law enforcement had overreacted and failed to understand democracy.

"I urge President Prabowo to reprimand the police to avoid the impression that his government is anti-democratic," he said.

Commission III of the DPR

Chairman of Commission III of the People's Representative Council (DPR), Habiburokhman, volunteered to be a guarantor so that SSS would not be detained.

This was revealed in a letter of request issued by Habiburokhman on May 10, 2025, addressed to the Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri).

"I fully guarantee that SSS, who is currently detained at the Bareskrim Headquarters, will not be detained for the alleged criminal act," said Habiburokhman in the letter.

Habiburokhman also guaranteed that the ITB student would not flee, destroy or hide evidence, or repeat the criminal act.

He further guaranteed that SSS would not hinder the process of investigation, prosecution, and court hearings.

Arrested Without Prior Summons

SSS was arrested by the police at their boarding house in Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency, West Java, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

According to the Chair of the ITB Student Family Cabinet, Farell Faiz Firmansyah, the arrest was made without prior summons.

“Our friends and their family felt there had been no summons, and in the end, SSS was picked up directly from the boarding house,” he said on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

SSS is a second-semester student at the ITB Faculty of Art and Design (FSRD). ITB places new students at the Jatinangor campus for a year-long preparatory phase before selecting their program of study.

Comment from Hasan Nasbi

Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, responded to the case of the ITB student who was arrested after uploading the Prabowo-Jokowi kissing meme. Hasan suggested that the student be mentored rather than punished, especially as it was related to freedom of expression.

"Perhaps later, they can be given understanding and guidance so they can improve, but not punished. This is all in the context of democracy," he said on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

However, Hasan stated that the government leaves the case to the police, particularly regarding legal matters. "As for the legal aspects, we leave it to law enforcement," he said.

Criminalizing Freedom of Expression

Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, stated that the arrest of the ITB student was a criminalization of freedom of expression.

According to Usman, this is not the first time the police or the government have used this method to silence criticism from civil society. Over the past five years, Amnesty International has recorded at least 530 cases of the criminalization of freedom of expression involving 563 victims.

All of them were charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE).

"The majority of the criminalization cases were conducted by Indonesian Police's cyber patrol with 259 cases and 271 victims, followed by local governments with 63 cases and 68 victims," he said.