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View all search resultsPrison sought for activists in August unrest sparks outcry over free speech
Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) are seeking two-year prison terms for four activists accused of inciting last year’s nationwide riots, a demand civil groups denounce as an attempt to silence government critics.
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Activists rally at the South Jakarta District Court on Oct. 27, 2025, after the court rejected fellow activist Delpedro Marhaen’s pretrial motion against the police for naming him a suspect of inciting riots during the August protests without due process. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he prison sentences sought by Attorney General’s Office (AGO) prosecutors for four activists accused of inciting nationwide riots in August of last year has drawn strong criticism from rights groups, which denounced the prosecution as an attempt to silence government critics.
Last Friday, prosecutors demanded the Central Jakarta District Court sentence Lokataru Foundation director Delpedro Marhaen and staff member Muzaffar Salim, online activist Syahdan Husein from student movement Gejayan Memanggil and Riau University student Khariq Anhar to two years in prison. Prosecutors said the defendants had spearheaded social media campaigns that incited “hatred and hostility” toward the government during the anti-government protests between late August and early September of last year that intensified into violence after the police killing of a bystander.
The four activists, who have been in detention since early September last year, were accused of violating the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law and the Criminal Code (KUHP). They had published 19 “provocative” posts on social media using hashtags such as #indonesiagelap (dark Indonesia) and #reformasipolri (let’s reform the police), according to prosecutors.
Civil groups have since slammed the prosecution, such as pro-democracy group Gerakan Nurani Bangsa (National Conscience Movement), whose members include prominent interfaith figures such as former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid and former religious affairs minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.
The GNB urged the court to acquit the activists.
“We request the panel of judges to clear the defendants of all charges and find them innocent,” GNB representative Lukman told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, adding that the group is also preparing an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of the activists.
Read also: Prosecutors indict four activists for inciting August unrest
