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View all search resultsState policies continue to fuel religious freedom violations: Setara
From forced closures of worship spaces to attacks on children, Setara says government policies and selective law enforcement continue to enable religious freedom violations in Indonesia.
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A police officer stands guard in front of a Christian prayer house on July 28, 2025, following a violent disruption of religious activities in Padang Sarai, Padang, West Sumatra. A group of residents vandalized the property belonging to the Indonesian Faithful Christian Church (GKSI) Anugerah Padang on July 27, 2025, leading to the arrest of nine individuals. (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
D
espite President Prabowo Subianto’s pledges to strengthen human rights protection and promote religious tolerance as stipulated in his Asta Cita (eight missions), violations of religious freedom persisted across Indonesia throughout 2025, according to a new report by rights watchdog Setara Institute.
Setara recorded 221 incidents of religious freedom violations during last year, including 128 cases involving state actors. Local administrations accounted for the largest share with 71 actions, followed by the police with 15, while the Indonesian Military, the Attorney General’s Office and the Public Order Agency each recorded six cases. The Religious Affairs Ministry was linked to five incidents.
“Through its discriminatory policies, the state continues to play a role as an enabler in several cases of religious freedom violations,” the group said in its annual report, noting that the abuses often target minority groups such as Christians, Catholics and members of the Ahmadiyah community in the Sunni Muslim-majority country.
The state’s inadequate response to incidents of religious intolerance has further contributed to a sense of impunity, it added.
One widely criticized case occurred in Padang Sarai, Padang, West Sumatra, in July 2025, when a mob attacked a Christian prayer house where children were attending a Sunday school class. Two children aged 8 and 11 were injured after being struck by thrown objects during the attack, which also damaged furniture and equipment inside the building.
Read also: Attack on prayer house injures children, sparks outrage over state inaction
Around 30 children were reportedly present when the mob forced its way into the building and demanded that the religious instruction stop, leaving many of the children traumatized.
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