Report on the State Handling of Citizen Demonstrations

Report on the State's Handling of Citizen Demonstrations 

“Protecting the Freedom of Opinions, Expressions, and Criticism is a Constitutional Obligation of the State” 

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has formed a rapid response team to take urgent action against the violent incidents that occurred during the series of demonstrations and post-demonstrations that occurred on August 25–September 11, 2025. This was done within the framework of carrying out 2 of the 5 mandates of Komnas Perempuan based on Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 65 of 2005 which was renewed by Presidential Regulation 8 of 2024 on the National Commission on Violence Against Women, namely: 1) Carrying out monitoring, including fact-finding and documentation of all forms of violence against women and violations of women’s human rights, as well as disseminating monitoring results to the public and taking steps that encourage accountability and handling; 2) Providing advice and opinions to the government, legislative institutions and judicial institutions, as well as civil society organizations to encourage the preparation and ratification of legal and policy frameworks that support efforts to prevent and tackle all forms of violence against Indonesian women and the protection, enforcement, and advancement of women’s human rights. Komnas Perempuan’s Rapid Response Team carries out tasks that include field monitoring, media monitoring and verification, receiving complaints, providing initial recovery support, as well as coordinating with national human rights institutions and civil society networks. 

Komnas Perempuan emphasizes that all rapid response measures implemented are based on the constitutional framework of the 1945 Constitution, which establishes basic rights, such as the right to life, freedom from torture, freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of religion, and recognition as a person before the law (Article 28I paragraph 1). The Constitution also guarantees the right of every person to associate, assemble, and express opinions (Article 28E paragraph 3), as well as the right to protection of self, family, honor, dignity, property, and a sense of security (Article 28G paragraph 1). 

Furthermore, the state, particularly the government, is obligated to protect, advance, uphold, and fulfill human rights (Article 28I paragraph 4), which must be implemented within the framework of a democratic state based on law through legislation (Article 28I paragraph 5). It is within this framework that Komnas Perempuan works to ensure that the constitutional rights of citizens, particularly women facing violence and discrimination, are truly respected, protected, and fulfilled. 

Preliminary findings indicate a recurring pattern of excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation, including those specifically targeting women through gender-based violence. Arrested women also face stigma and difficulty accessing support. Moreover, Komnas Perempuan found the spread of hoaxes about sexual violence, which are used as a tool of terror to instill fear in public spaces while simultaneously silencing women’s voices. 

Komnas Perempuan expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives in this series of violent incidents, as well as its concern and solidarity with those injured, both among the public and the police. At the same time, Komnas Perempuan also laments the destruction of public facilities and looting, which have further exacerbated the community’s suffering. 

Komnas Perempuan stresses that Indonesia, as a State Party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) through Law No. 7 of 1984, has an international obligation to protect women from gender-based discrimination and violence, including in the public and political spheres. This obligation is emphasized in CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30, which highlights the protection of women in situations of conflict and public security, and General Recommendation No. 35, which underlines that gender-based violence is a serious form of discrimination that must be prevented, acted upon, and remedied by the state. 

Komnas Perempuan specifically commends women’s leadership in peaceful demonstrations, whether as students, workers, mothers supporting logistics, or women human rights defenders, who have demonstrated steadfastness and solidarity amidst repression. Women are at the forefront of organizing and ensuring that the voice of the people continues to be heard, a clear demonstration of their contribution to strengthening democracy. At the same time, Komnas Perempuan voices concern over the practice of arbitrary arrests targeting civilians and human rights defenders simply for expressing their opinions, often using the pretext of incitement or provocation to silence criticism. 

Therefore Komnas Perempuan urges to: 

1. Stop repressive practices — The state needs to immediately end arbitrary arrests, disturbing sweeps, as well as all forms of terror and threats of sexual violence. 
2. Protect citizens’ right to express their opinions — In accordance with constitutional mandates and human rights standards, the state is obliged to guarantee that everyone can associate, assemble, and express their opinions peacefully without fear, including in digital spaces. 
3. Guarantee the right to information — Public access to information must remain guaranteed, and without restrictions on internet and social media access, as such hinders information and exacerbate victims’ vulnerabilities. 
4. Ensure compliance with human rights principles — The Chief of the National Police (POLRI) needs to ensure that all police forces operate in accordance with human rights standards, while the Indonesian Military (TNI) needs to be returned to its primary defense function without interfering in civilian affairs. 
5. Protect human rights defenders — The state must release detained human rights defenders and stop their criminalization, including women human rights defenders, who are often accused of incitement or provocation. 
6. Provide recovery with a victim-centered perspective — The state is obliged to provide recovery services for women, children, and vulnerable groups affected, covering physical, psychological, legal, and socio-economic aspects, with a gender-responsive approach. 
7. Strengthen accountability and transparency — It is crucial to establish an independent team to investigate allegations of human rights violations, including gender-based violence, with the assurance that the results will be followed up openly. 
8. Improve governance — In order to restore public trust, the government, together with the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), must respond to public demands with concrete steps that demonstrate accountability in budget use, program implementation, and the integrity of state officials. 
9. The use of force by police officers must be measured and proportional, in line with the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality as stipulated in the Regulation of the Chief of Police No. 1 of 2009 on the Use of Force in Police Actions. 
10. The police to consider releasing the three women with the initials L, F, and G who are still in detention. Their situation demonstrates the vulnerability women face when dealing with the law, ranging from limited legal understanding, dependent positions within the family, to the role of mothers who must leave their children. This situation also has psychological and social impacts in the form of trauma, stigma, doxing, and threats to family security, which should be important considerations in finding a just and humane solution.
11. The police to immediately release detainees who have not been named as suspects and/or suspend detention for suspects as soon as possible, while protecting and enforcing the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) and other laws and regulations. 

Fact Sheet 

Violence by Authorities against Protesting Citizens and the Multi-Layered Impact on Women and Vulnerable Groups 

Steps Taken 

1. The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) established a Rapid Response Team to monitor the field, verify information, receive complaints, provide initial support, and coordinate with human rights organizations and civil society networks. 
2. Establishment of a complaints hotline. 
3. Field monitoring of the North Jakarta Departmental Police (Polres) to document the situation surrounding the arrests of women. 
4.  Media monitoring and verification of information, particularly regarding issues of ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA) and threats of sexual violence, periodically from August 25–September 6, 2025. 
5. Consultation with civil society partners and community-based service institutions in 28 regions to map the local situation. 
6. Digital literacy and self-protection campaigns, including collaboration with the Indonesian Anti-Slander Society (Mafindo) to counter hoaxes and disinformation. 
7. Production of informative content for the public, including prevention messages, clarifying hoaxes, and calls for solidarity, as well as the importance of maintaining mental health and information on psychological service institutions. 
8. Monitoring of the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) Command Post. 
9. Monitoring of the Cyber ​​Directorate of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police (Bareskrim Polri) and the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police (Polda Metro Jaya). 
10. Monitoring of five women in conflict with the law (PBH) who were arrested and detained at the North Jakarta Departmental Police, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police, and the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police. 

Key Findings 

1. Arrests and detention of women and girls during the series of demonstrations: 
   • 3 women were arrested on August 30 at the Central Java Regional Police (Polda) Headquarters and released on August 31. 
   • 2 women (1 child and 1 adult) were detained at the North Jakarta Departmental Police Headquarters on August 31 and released on September 1. 
   • 1 girl was detained at the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police Headquarters and released on August 28. 
   • A case involving an arrest and violence against a girl at the Banyumas Departmental Police Headquarters has been dismissed. 
   • A woman with the initial L was detained at the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police and charged with: 1) Article 48 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 32 paragraph (1) of Law No. 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE Law) with a criminal penalty of up to eight years in prison; 2) Article 45A paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (2) of Law No. 1 of 2024 on the Second Amendment to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, with a maximum penalty of six years; 3) Article 160 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on incitement with a criminal penalty of six years in prison, and Article 161 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code with a criminal penalty of up to four years. 
   • A woman with the initial F was charged with: 1) Article 160 of the Criminal Code; 2) and/or Article 87 in conjunction with Article 76H in conjunction with Article 15 of the Child Protection Law; 3) Article 45A paragraph (3) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (3) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, with a maximum prison sentence of six years. 
   • 1 woman with the initial G was charged with: 1) Article 45 Paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 28 Paragraph 2 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law; 2) Article 160 of the Criminal Code; and 3) Article 161 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code with a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison. 
2. The situation of women who were arrested/detained during the series of demonstrations: 
   • They weren't intentionally attending the demonstration, but rather intended to watch/observe the action. 
   • The limited number of investigators was disproportionate to the number of people arrested, resulting in a lengthy initial investigation. 
   • At the Central Java Regional Police, the police coordinated with the Women and Children Protection Agency (PPA) on the handling of arrested women, resulting in relatively good handling. 
   • Women arrested at night are stigmatized as “intruders” or “provocateurs,” and labeled “immoral” women for being arrested in the middle of the night before dawn. 
3. The situation of women in conflict with the law who were arrested and detained outside the demonstrations: 
   • 3 women in conflict with the law were arrested directly at home without prior summons. 
   • They were mentally shocked and traumatized because posts on their social media accounts led to their detention. They felt that it was simply an emotional outburst and had no aim or intention to incite or provoke. 
   • 1 women in conflict with the law was in a vulnerable situation, married at a young age and had recently moved from the countryside to Jakarta. She was economically dependent on her husband. She did not understand the circumstances of the incident and the accusations against her because her cell phone was used by her husband. 
   • Mentally devastated due to having to leave a breastfeeding child. 
   • Doxing of one women in conflict with the law and threats to her family’s safety. 
   • Each women in conflict with the law currently has legal representation. 
4. Rumors related to sexual violence: Four (4) rape reports were found circulating on social media (West Jakarta, East Jakarta, Central Jakarta, Solo, Surabaya). After verification, these were found to be unsubstantiated. Komnas Perempuan considers this a form of terror intended to spread fear and trigger collective trauma over the May 1998 Tragedy.
5. Gender-based violence and sexism: Physical violence against women protesters, verbal harassment, sexist comments, and racially charged hate speech occurred in North Maluku, Lampung, Mataram, Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Palembang. 
6. Arbitrary arrests and sweeps: Occurred at the Women's Solidarity for Humanity and Human Rights (SPEK-HAM) Solo office, Semarang (near a campus), and in various cities (Jakarta, Central Java, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Kediri, and North Sulawesi). 
7. Limited access to legal counsel and family during the initial post-arrest process; during initial questioning, those arrested were questioned without counsel, in almost all regions. 
8. Disinformation and information restriction: 
   • Rumors of snipers and random shootings in West Nusa Tenggara have sparked panic among students and parents. 
   • Internet blackouts at several protest locations (Jakarta, North Sulawesi, Aceh, Central Kalimantan). 
9. Multiple impacts on vulnerable groups: People with disabilities and the elderly face heightened fear with minimal protection. 
10. Arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders and social media account managers who actively voice social issues. 

Systematic Patterns Revealed 

1. Alleged excessive use of force: tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, beatings, and mob violence. 
2. Arbitrary arrests of individuals and groups: including children and women, who were arrested without due process and with limited access to justice. 
3. Gender-based violence against women: harassment, sexism, racially charged abuse, and intimidation in public and digital spaces. 
4. Alleged terror based on sexual hoaxes: the dissemination of false rape rumors to silence women and to create collective fear. 
5. Alleged silencing of critical voices, aspirations, and expressions of public anger, which are then diverted or accused of being incitement or provocation. 
6. Stigmatization and hate narratives: religion, race, and inter-group relations issues and the label of “infiltrator/provocateur” are used to legitimize repression. 
7. Multiple impacts on vulnerable groups: Women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly endure trauma, stigma, and barriers to access to legal services and recovery. 

Conclusion 

The systematic pattern identified in the series of monitoring is a recurring pattern that occurs and is perpetuated in the handling of mass demonstrations by authorities. The authorities’ repressive actions not only violate citizens’ constitutional rights to express their opinions in public but also constitute a form of terror that specifically targets women and vulnerable groups, narrows democratic space, and deepens the collective trauma of the community.