Journalists hold banners during a protest to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Surabaya, East Java on May 2, 2025. The protest, organized by the Surabaya chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Surabaya) and other civic groups, condemned intimidation and violent acts against journalists.

Analysis: Government going after ‘unpatriotic’ critics, by almost any means

Three government critics have been reported to the police for something they said in public while an online magazine has seen the circulation of an Instagram article restricted, further evidence of Indonesia’s shrinking civic space. These incidents happened not long after the March 12 acid attack against a human rights activist, an attack which the military and police have blamed on members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) intelligence agency.

8 hours ago

Opinion premium

Analysis: Govt targets “questionable” IUPs in forest areas

President Prabowo Subianto on Apr. 8 instructed the accelerated revocation of hundreds of “questionable” mining business permits (IUPs) within a one-week deadline, a move that raises concerns over rushed implementation. The directive comes in the aftermath of severe flooding in Sumatra in December, widely linked to environmental degradation exacerbated by natural resource extraction. W...

1 day ago

Opinion premium

Analysis: Elites bargain behind NasDem-Gerindra ‘merger’ talks

It is hard to conceive of a national political landscape without constant maneuvering among political parties, trying to shape its direction. Recent speculation over a potential unification of the NasDem Party and Gerindra Party has brought a recurring question to the forefront: Do parties function as institutional channels of representation, or have they become mere instruments of elite bargainin...

2 days ago