Responding to the unnecessary and excessive use of force against protesters by the Indonesian police during #EmergencyWarning protests, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director Usman Hamid said:
“Even though the protests were peaceful, police forces across several cities in Indonesia violently repressed the protests, blatantly disregarding the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“This is only the latest incident of many where unnecessary and excessive force has been used while policing protests. These repeated incidents attest to the failure of authorities to respect, facilitate and protect the right to protest, which is guaranteed under both national and international human rights law.
“Protesters who took to the streets to voice their aspirations were met with excessive force including beatings, which may amount to torture and other ill-treatment. Journalists who covered the protests were also subjected to intimidation, threats, and unlawful force by the police, leading to a violation of their right to physical integrity and their freedom of expression.
“Dozens of protesters, including minors, were arbitrarily arrested and detained without due process or any sufficient or credible evidence.
“Indonesian authorities must immediately conduct an impartial and effective investigation into the incidents and hold perpetrators accountable in fair trials. It is imperative for the police to understand that isolated acts of violence do not justify the use unlawful force against protesters.
“The police must also immediately release all those arbitrarily arrested in the crackdown and ensure their access to legal counsel and medical treatment.”
BACKGROUND
On Thursday, 22 August 2024, thousands of protesters, including university students, took to the streets of several major cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Makassar, protesting the House of Representatives’ plan to change the election law, or what is known as #EmergencyWarning (#PeringatanDarurat) protests.
Amnesty International Indonesia and partner organizations found that police forces have used unlawful force and arbitrarily arrested protesters during the assemblies.
Amnesty International Indonesia received information from the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) that, as of 11am on 23 August 2024, at least 105 people were arrested by the police, including 27 adults and 78 children, following protests in Jakarta. These included a staff member of Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and the Director of Lokataru Foundation, a human rights organization, who were both injured during the protest. Furthermore, at least nine others, including university students, were injured from use of force by the police. In addition, at least seven journalists reported being subjected to intimidation and threats.
In Bandung, West Java Province, a video obtained by Amnesty showed police officers chasing after protesters, striking them with batons and stomping on their bodies.
In Semarang, Central Java Province, at least 15 university students were brought to hospital as they experienced shortness of breath, nausea, sore eyes, while some even fainted, after the police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
This is not the first incident of police’s use of unlawful force in the policing of protests. In 2020, Amnesty International verified 51 videos depicting 43 separate incidents of unlawful use of force by Indonesian police during protests that occurred between 6 October and 10 November 2020.