Amnesty Highlights Anomaly in Guilty Verdict in Shelfin Bima Case
Amnesty International Indonesia views the guilty verdict against Shelfin Bima Prakosa, a political prisoner in the case of alleged incitement of riots during the August 2025 demonstrations in Kediri, as an anomaly in the judicial system. The organisation considers the ruling lopsided compared to the acquittal of Saiful Amin, another defendant in the same case.
Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, stated that the differing decisions against the two defendants in the same incident raise questions about the consistency of law enforcement and the protection of human rights in Indonesia.
“This is an overlapping decision that raises questions regarding the consistency of law enforcement and the protection of human rights in Indonesia,” said Usman in a press release on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
Shelfin Bima and Saiful Amin are activists from Kediri who were arrested after participating in demonstrations that turned into riots in August. Saiful was arrested by the Kediri Resort Police on 2 September 2025 and designated as a suspect just one day later. However, Saiful was reportedly trying to calm the riots at the time, not incite them.
Meanwhile, Shelfin was arrested on 18 September 2025, after being found to have delivered a speech during a solidarity protest regarding the death of Affan.
In the prosecution’s trial, Shelfin was charged under Article 160 of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) first of the Criminal Code for incitement carried out jointly to commit a criminal act. Saiful was charged with layered articles, namely Article 45A paragraph (3) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (3) of Law Number 1 of 2024 on the second amendment to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, as well as Article 160 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) first of the Criminal Code.
However, in the verdict read out today, 28 April 2026, the Panel of Judges at the Kediri District Court issued differing sentences. Saiful Amin was acquitted of all charges, while Shelfin was found guilty and sentenced to four months in prison.
According to Usman, the differing fates of the two defendants reflect a judicial anomaly and repeat precedents from the Central Jakarta District Court. In another case, that court sentenced Wawan Hermawan on 7 April 2026, while in the previous March, it acquitted Delpedro, Muzaffar, Syahdan, and Khariq on similar charges.
“This verdict proves the inconsistency of the courts in handling citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights,” said Usman.
On the other hand, regardless of that, Usman believes that Shelfin and Saiful should not have been punished. Their involvement in the protest on 30 August 2025 in Kediri was a form of freedom of expression. The action, according to Usman, was a show of solidarity over the death of Affan Kurniawan, who died after being run over by a Brimob armoured vehicle in Jakarta, as well as an expression of criticism against various DPR policies at the time.
Usman emphasised that the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are protected by the Indonesian constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which has been ratified by the Indonesian government. Amnesty considers the use of incitement articles against civil activists to have damaged the principles of civil liberties.
“Therefore, the state must immediately stop all criminal processes and criminalisation against civilians related to the August 2025 mass actions, while also guaranteeing the human rights of its citizens to express themselves and assemble peacefully,” he said.