TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsCourt finds activists not guilty of inciting August riot
The law should not be used as an instrument to limit freedom of expression and speech in a democratic country, the judges said in their ruling for the four activists.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
(From left to right) Activists Delpedro Marhaen, Muzaffar Salim, Syahdan Husein and Khariq Anhar pose on March 6, 2026, at the hearing prior to their verdict at Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta. The judges acquitted the defendants of all incitement charges related to nationwide anti-government protests in August 2025 that later turned into riots. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
T
he Central Jakarta District Court has acquitted four human rights activists of incitement charges stemming from nationwide anti-government protests in August 2025 that later turned into riots.
During a hearing on Friday, Presiding Judge Harika Novi Yeri declared that 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 were free of all charges sought by prosecutors.
The defendants had been indicted for spearheading social media campaigns that allegedly incited hatred and hostility among students, including minors, toward the government during nationwide protests and unrest between late August and early September last year that intensified after police killed a bystander.
In their ruling, the bench said 19 social media posts by the activists across various platforms in August 2025 did not deliberately cause protests to escalate into riots. The judges also noted that none of the witnesses who testified at the trial said they had been provoked by the posts to join the unrest.
Witnesses in the trial, including some minors, were either not aware of the activists’ posts or joined the demonstrations because they were moved by the conditions on the ground as well as public anger, according to the judges.
“The escalation of violence, including stone throwing [by demonstrators], had been triggered by tear gas [shot by the police] and public anger over the death of Affan Kurniawan, not the defendants’ posts,” said Judge Harika, referring to the 21-year-old ojol (online motorcycle transportation) driver who was struck and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta.
Read also: Prison sought for activists in August unrest sparks outcry over free speech
