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View all search resultsDisinformation used to silent government critics, says Amnesty
Coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting government critics have proliferated in Indonesia under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, contributing to the silencing of dissent and intimidation against activists, journalists and the wider public, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
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The word "disinformation" is highlighted in this undated illustration of a dictionary. (Shutterstock/Casimiro PT)
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oordinated disinformation campaigns targeting government critics have proliferated in Indonesia during the opening 18 months of President Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, contributing to the silencing of dissent and the intimidation of activists, journalists and the wider public, Amnesty International said in a report published on Tuesday.
The report titled “Building Up Imaginary Enemies” outlines how disinformation has been used as a tactic to delegitimize critics and justify repression, particularly through widespread dissemination on social media through posts appearing to be affiliated with the government.
Amnesty also highlighted repeated accusations of “foreign agents” or “foreign lackeys” made publicly by Prabowo against critics, including civil society groups and journalists, with at least 25 of such instances since he took office in October 2024.
Amnesty International secretary-general Agnès Callamard warned that the tactic reflects efforts by those in power to create “imaginary enemies,” shifting public attention away from policy issues and toward critics, including journalists, protesters and civil society groups.
“The report is about how anti-[human] rights politics turn fear into a governing strategy, [and] how disinformation can be used to make repression appear reasonable, to make violence appear deserved and to make dissent appear illegitimate,” she said at a launch event on Tuesday.
One example highlighted in the report are multiple videos carrying the message “Indonesia is in danger, foreign lackeys are attacking,” which showed clips of activist Andrie Yunus when he interrupted a closed-door lawmaker meeting at a luxury hotel in Jakarta discussing revisions to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law last year. The videos were published on social media accounts affiliated with the military, according to Amnesty.
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