TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has called on law enforcement to release two Cimahi residents detained for uploading social media content regarding President Prabowo Subianto's remarks on Iran's alleged nuclear arms. The rights group sharply criticized the West Java Regional Police for arresting the men, identified as AYP and AF, and designating them as criminal suspects.
"We urge the West Java Regional Police to drop the criminal proceedings, release AYP and AF, and restore their rights," YLBHI Chairperson Muhamad Isnur said when contacted on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
Isnur warned that the detention of AYP and AF sends a chilling signal to the public that criticizing or discussing the president carries the threat of interrogation, arrest, and incarceration. "Consequently, citizens will be afraid to speak out and will choose to self-censor," he added.
Isnur also questioned the legal basis used by the police. He assessed that, based on police statements, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the elements of the cited statutes had been met.
He argued that terms such as "provocative," "creating public disorder," or "threatening national unity" do not constitute elements of a criminal offense. In a state governed by the rule of law, Isnur noted, a person cannot be arrested simply because their speech is deemed harsh, rude, offensive, or uncomfortable for the government.
"The police must demonstrate a clear criminal act, an identifiable victim, and sufficient evidence for every element of the statutes applied," Isnur stated.
Furthermore, he argued that the actions taken by the West Java Regional Police officers violated several Constitutional Court rulings. The rulings in question are Number 115/PUU-XXII/2024, Number 105/PUU-XXII/2024, and Number 7/PUU-VII/2009. He emphasized that Constitutional Court rulings are final and binding.
“The police must not disregard them by maintaining an old, repressive interpretation or by shifting the basis of criminalization from one article to another,” he said.
Details of the Arrests and Social Media Posts
Previously, two male private-sector employees, AYP, 49, and AF, 40, were arrested on suspicion of disseminating provocative content, manipulating information, and spreading hate speech targeting the government via the social media platform Threads. West Java Regional Police personnel arrested AYP and AF after receiving public reports on August 4, 2026.
“Following up on the report, the police team immediately conducted digital mapping and successfully apprehended both suspects in the Cimahi City area,” said the Head of Public Relations for the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan, in a statement on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The case stemmed from a post made by AYP on Threads. According to the police, AYP edited and transmitted content containing a “manipulative narrative regarding the government's statement on Iran's nuclear weapons program.” The police stated that the content also included a “provocative narrative” from AYP offering the coordinates of the State Palace.
Hendra explained that AYP, using the account @onthel_kebagusan, uploaded content with the following narrative: “The Iranian Embassy in Jakarta, via its official X account, responded strongly to Prabowo Subianto's statement regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program. Iran stated that they have never produced nor contemplated creating nuclear weaponry.”
The post was then accompanied by a sentence that the police deemed provocative: “Messing with the Iranian Embassy? If you need the State Palace coordinates, please do not hesitate to contact us.” The post drew comments from netizens that, according to the police, contained threats of violence and provocative language. One account, @basterap, wrote: “No need to overcomplicate things; just wait for the motorcade—the head will show up eventually, then just take him out.”
Another comment came from the account @agam_copybali: “Don’t give out the Palace coordinates; that belongs to the people. If you want, use the Kertanegara or Hambalang home addresses instead. A single shot could finish off one of Netanyahu’s cronies plus six bodyguards.”
Based on these comments, the police named AF a suspect alongside AYP. Hendra stated that the complainant felt aggrieved and viewed the posts as a threat to the integrity of the nation and state, thereby potentially causing public unrest.
“The digital activities of both suspects were deemed capable of triggering public unrest and threatening national security stability,” said Hendra.
Hendra added that investigators have questioned two witnesses and four experts regarding the case. The four experts include a linguist, an expert on electronic information and transactions (ITE), a sociology of law expert, and a criminal law expert.
Investigators have seized several pieces of evidence, namely the suspects' Threads accounts, a bundle of screenshots from Threads accounts, a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE mobile phone, and an Oppo F11 mobile phone.
Police have charged both suspects under Article 35 in conjunction with Article 51 and/or Article 29 in conjunction with Article 45B of Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE Law).
The suspects have also been charged under Articles 243, 246, 247, and Article 248 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP). According to the police, the penalties entail a maximum prison sentence of four years and a maximum fine of Category IV, amounting to Rp200 million.
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