Activists at Social Movement Institute in Yogyakarta Experience Terror
The driving force behind the Kamisan Action in Yogyakarta, the Social Movement Institute (SMI), allegedly experienced terror whilst hosting an Islamic Left Pesantren during 5–8 March 2026. The Islamic Left Pesantren is an alternative political school for young people that discusses the decline of democracy and the increasing threat of militarism in Indonesia. The incidents of terror included the appearance of a snake near the organisation’s secretariat and fake orders placed through a ride-sharing application targeting the home of one activist.
The Pesantren Ramadan event featured several speakers, including economist Bima Yudhistira from the Centre of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Universiade of Gadjah Mada lecturer Amalinda Savirani, military observer Made Supriatma, and journalist and podcast host of the programme Bocor Alus Politik Francisca Christy Rosana.
The first alleged incident of terror occurred on Friday morning, 6 March 2026. SMI activists discovered a approximately two-metre king cobra on the front terrace of their secretariat in Yogyakarta. SMI activist Ahmad Fauzan Mahdi stated that the appearance of the roughly two-metre snake was truly shocking as it was located on the front terrace of the SMI secretariat. “Our secretariat is located in a densely populated residential area and its grounds are not overgrown with many plants. We were at that time focused on preparing the Islamic Left pesantren event,” Ahmad said when contacted on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
According to Ahmad, the snake was as thick as a human arm. The activists subsequently captured it. Ahmad then showed a photograph of the captured snake. They believed the appearance of the reptile was unusual given the dense residential conditions of the surrounding environment.
Two days after this incident, an alleged second act of terror occurred. A ride-sharing driver came to the home of another SMI activist, Eko Prasetyo, in Yogyakarta claiming to deliver a package addressed to Adam that was to be sent to the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.
Eko stated that he had never ordered a delivery service through the ride-sharing application. However, the following day his home was visited by ride-sharing drivers four more times at different times. The drivers who came also came from different application service companies.
Eko’s home is equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance monitored in collaboration with the local neighbourhood association chairman. According to Eko, each driver that came took photographs of his home. “I am concerned that it is part of surveillance,” Eko said.
SMI is a civil society organisation that has been active for more than a decade in human rights advocacy and criticism of militarism. The group has also been involved in the Kamisan Action in Yogyakarta, which is often followed by young people as a form of protest against various human rights violations.
The organisation is connected with various civil society networks, including the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras). Eko suspects that the series of events is connected to SMI’s activities, which often criticise the tendency towards militarism in government. Nevertheless, he emphasised that the organisation will not retreat. “SMI will not yield to terror that pushes Indonesian democracy backwards,” Eko said.