Why Indonesian Activists Fear Criminalization During Prabowo-Gibran Reign

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Iqbal Ramadhan was taken aback when he received a summons from the Jakarta Metro Police in mid-September. At that time, Iqbal was a public lawyer involved in the Advocacy Team for Democracy, or TAUD.

He recounted that while assisting demonstrators who were arrested during the series of protests in late August, investigators asked the activist from Blok Politik Pelajar (Students' Political Bloc) to attend a scheduled questioning. 

"The summons did not detail my status," said Iqbal when met in Central Jakarta on Thursday, October 16, 2025, referring to his status as legal representative.

Indonesian law dictates that a legal representative can be summoned by the police for questioning, but not as an ordinary witness. A legal representative, he said, cannot be asked to provide a testimony about a client. 

Iqbal suspected that the summons that was given while he was on duty was intended to intimidate him. Because at that same time, another activist from Blok Politik Pelajar, Delpedro Marhaen, was also arrested on incitement charges.

The alleged intimidation of police against activists, he went on, is linked to the document containing a list of names accused of incitement during the August protests.

As seen by Tempo, Iqbal was one of the accused, along with several other names, including Delpedro Marhaen, Muzaffar Salim, and Syahdan Husein.

"This list and the criminalization against activists have made them worried about continuing their activities," said Iqbal.

On a separate occasion, a member of the Blok Politik Pelajar, on condition of anonymity, said the group's activities have come to a complete standstill since the arrest of Delpedro, Muzaffar, and Syahdan.

The group did not dare to release a statement about the activists' arrests, let alone gather and meet each other. Iqbal did not deny the member's story. According to him, several members of the group that focuses on advocacy for victims suffered from intimidation, in the form of terror and threats from unknown individuals.

"So, if asked whether one year of Prabowo-Gibran's administration succeeded in silencing the activists, we believe that's true," said Iqbal.

Meanwhile, Blok Politik Pelajar is a group of activists and students aiming to raise political awareness among students. The group, which was established in 2020, actively voices aspirations among grassroots and applies them in campaigns and demonstrations.

Prabowo-Gibran's Government Represses Freedom of Expression

The Prabowo-Gibran government officially marked its first year on October 20, during which the performance is colored with a list of criticisms and evaluations.

YLBHI, or the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, released critical notes on the one-year administration of Prabowo-Gibran, with one issue underscoring concerns about the narrowing of freedom of expression.

The chair of YLBHI, Muhammad Isnur, stated that the narrowing scope of freedom of expression can be seen in the rise of repressiveness by the authorities and efforts to criminalize dissenting voices against government policies. 

"We note that 5,444 people have been arrested, with 997 people being designated as suspects as a result of a series of protests that have occurred in recent months," said Isnur in a brief voice message on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.

These demonstrations include the TNI Bill rejection, the International Labor Day commemoration, as well as the series of protests against exorbitant allowances for lawmakers that lasted from August 25-31, which is considered the biggest criminalization effort since the Reformation in 1998.

He stated that the criminalization can be seen in how there were attempts to construct a narrative that the protests in August were the result of provocation by the activists. President Prabowo also legitimized the narrative of provocation by accusing a coup and terrorism.

"The legitimacy established by the President then paved the way for the authorities to arrest and hunt down the activists who were scapegoated as the perpetrators of the riots," he said.

According to Isnur, the arrests of the activists were carried out to bury public dissatisfaction and anger towards government policies.

Instead of revealing the true actors, Isnur said, the government has narrowed the freedom of expression by accusing and criminalizing the activists who voice their aspirations.

"Democracy has not been fine during the 1 year of Prabowo-Gibran administration," he said.

Tempo contacted the Head of Public Relations of the Jakarta Metro Police, Commissioner Ade Ary Indradi Syam, regarding the summoning of Iqbal Ramadhan while providing legal assistance to the demonstrators.

However, until this article was published, attempts to contact via telephone have gone unanswered.

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