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View all search resultsPresident vows to investigate violence during protests: Interfaith group
After a three-hour meeting at the Presidential Palace with President Prabowo Subianto and his cabinet, interfaith and pro-democracy group Gerakan Nurani Bangsa claimed the President would also push for reform in the country’s police system following recent violent protests that claimed the lives of at least 10 people.
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Demonstrators hold portraits of Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old ojol (online motorcycle transportation) driver who was run over by a police armored vehicle, on Aug. 30, 2025, during a protest in front of the Surabaya Police headquarters in East Java. Indonesia was rocked by protests in major cities on Aug. 29 after footage spread of Affan being run over by a police tactical vehicle in earlier rallies against low wages and financial perks for lawmakers. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
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resident Prabowo Subianto has agreed to establish an independent team to investigate the alleged use of disproportionate force in the handling of the recent week-long deadly protests, as claimed by an interfaith and pro-democracy group after a meeting with the country’s leader.
On Thursday, Prabowo hosted a meeting with the Gerakan Nurani Bangsa (National Conscience Movement), a group of prominent interfaith and pro-democracy figures, at the Presidential Palace. They discussed the country’s condition following violent and deadly protests in multiple cities over public dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the economy.
Among group members at the meeting were interfaith activist Alissa Wahid, daughter of late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, Muslim cleric Quraish Shihab, Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) secretary-general Gomar Gultom and former religious affairs minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.
Speaking to the press after the three-hour meeting, former minister Lukman said the group presented messages and demands from civil groups and students, including the “17+8 People’s Demands”, a campaign focusing on a set of short- and long-term demands such as suspending all allowances for House of Representative members and reform within the legislature.
“The President not only accepted what we conveyed but also understood and even discussed each point in detail,” Lukman told the press conference.
Among the key outcomes of the meeting, Lukman continued, was Prabowo’s agreement to form an independent team to investigate a series of violent incidents during the week-long protests that claimed the lives of at least 10 people. He added the Palace is expected to announce further details about the independent investigation.
Recent protests, which initially centered around criticism of the political elite’s perceived insensitivity toward economic hardships faced by most people, turned violent after a police tactical vehicle hit and killed 21-year-old ojol (online motorcycle transportation) driver Affan Kurniawan in Jakarta on Aug. 28.
