The Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday sentenced former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison and Rp 809 billion (US$45.4 million) in restitution for causing state losses in the procurement of Chromebook laptops during his time in office, an amount Nadiem said he could not afford.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced on Tuesday former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison for causing state losses in a case involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops during his time in office.

A coalition of professors, academics, rights advocates and public figures has thrown its support behind recent student protests, warning that growing attempts to intimidate and politicize the movement threaten Indonesia’s democracy and civil liberties.

Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has thrown his weight behind his youngest son’s Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) during his first nationwide political tour since leaving office, in what analysts see as early groundwork for the party in the 2029 legislative and presidential elections.

The deaths of prospective managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s rural cooperatives and fishing village programs in military training has prompted rights groups and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to call for an end to the training.

Launched in July last year, the "Red and White Cooperatives" programme aims to establish around 80,000 village cooperatives across Indonesia to create jobs and meet the government's target of 8 percent economic growth in 2029. They are intended to sell basic goods, subsidised cooking gas and fertiliser.

Fresh signs of strain have emerged in the relationship between President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as the administration faces mounting public discontent over rising fuel prices and Prabowo’s policies.

The mandatory military-style training for managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Rural Cooperatives and fishing villages initiatives has claimed two more lives, intensifying calls from lawmakers and civil society groups to review the program.

Indonesia may risk seeing its corruption perception index decline further this year as concerns over shrinking civic space, growing militarization and attacks on press freedom continue to worsen under the administration of Prabowo Subianto, according to Transparency International Indonesia (TII).

President Prabowo Subianto has brushed aside mounting criticism of his administration, defending his push to improve economic equality and food security in his first direct response to growing protests against his costly flagship programs amid economic hardships.

Two participants in a military training program for managers of President Prabowo’s Red and White Village Cooperatives and fishing villages initiatives have died during separate training sessions, prompting calls for a review of the program and renewed questions over the relevance of military-style instruction. 

President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of unity and praised the role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in maintaining stability on Tuesday, as his administration faces mounting criticism and a persistent wave of student protests over the country’s economy and costly government programs.

Several articles in the draft revision for the 2014 Copyright Law may lead to overlapping with other regulations as well as the criminalization of journalists and content creators for producing pieces that criticize public officials.

Concerns are growing that political elites are trying to delegitimize student protests against President Prabowo Subianto's policies, with recent maneuvering threatening to undermine their credibility and shift focus away from the grievances that drove the demonstrations.

Pro-government parties have rounded on sole opposition party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), accusing it of appearing to support the recent student protests against President Prabowo Subianto’s costly flagship programs amid mounting economic pressures.

Military prosecutors have opted not to challenge what critics describe as the lenient sentences handed down to four Indonesian Military (TNI) Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) personnel convicted over the acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus, despite appeals filed by the men themselves.

The Jakarta Police have detained former youth and sports minister Roy Suryo and health activist Tifauzia “Tifa” Tyassuma over alleged defamation linked to the case of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s contested university diploma, marking a major escalation in the long-running controversy.

House of Representatives Deputy Speakers Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Saan Mustopa promised to facilitate dialogues between student protesters and the government about their concerns, including rising fuel prices and a re-evaluation of the free nutritious meal program.

The multi-billion dollar meal scheme is one of President Prabowo Subianto's signature policies, but has been widely criticised for its high costs, with hundreds demonstrating in Jakarta last week to call for it to be scrapped.

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s decision to engage with student protesters amid waves of demonstrations against President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programs has raised questions about whether the move is aimed at increasing his political visibility and the possibility of a meaningful policy response.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has confiscated assets worth around Rp 30 billion (US$1.68 million) belonging to convicted corruption fugitive Eddy Tansil, in addition to Rp 51.68 billion in cash, as part of the government’s broader push to recover state losses from corruption cases.

A rift seems to have appeared in the ongoing student movement against excessive budgetary spending and rising fuel prices after BEM Bersatu alleged that certain student unions may have been swayed by political influence, which elicited prompt denial from its peers as well as the PDI-P.

From fuel price hikes to multibillion-dollar government programs, a growing list of grievances has fueled recurring protests during President Prabowo Subianto’s first two years in office, highlighting widening public dissatisfaction with the administration’s policy direction.

Following protests on Friday, students swarmed streets in Central Jakarta to demand a halt to the government's costly flagship programs and a national strategy to improve the economy, including steps to curb the rise in prices of fuel and basic necessities.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has arrested two more suspects related to corruption in the free nutritious meal program, widening its probe, which has already ensnared three former leaders of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in charge of the project.

The deployment of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel against a student protest denouncing wasteful state spending drew criticism from protesters and civil society groups, who said that crowd control falls outside the mandate of defense forces.

Hundreds of university students returned to the streets on Friday to challenge President Prabowo Subianto’s spending priorities, arguing that costly flagship programs were weakening efforts to respond to mounting economic pressures.