Amnesty International Criticises Seven-Month Sentence for @bekasi_menggugat Admin

Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, has criticised the seven-month prison sentence imposed on @bekasi_menggugat administrator Wawan Hermawan in the incitement case related to the August 2025 demonstrations.

Usman stated that Wawan’s actions, which merely involved reposting content on social media, should not form the basis of a legal issue.

“This is a misguided ruling that violates human rights. The panel of judges in this case sends a wrong message that Wawan’s act of merely reposting a call for demonstration is criminal. The sentence should correct the legal process that was flawed from the outset,” Usman said, quoted from a press release on Amnesty Indonesia’s official website, Wednesday (8/4).

Usman also regretted that the panel of judges did not use the acquittal of Delpedro, Khariq, Syahdan, and Muzaffar from the 6 March hearing as a benchmark.

In fact, according to Usman, the charges against Wawan were far weaker.

“That ruling confirms that no incitement occurred. There is no causal relationship between the call on social media and the violence that occurred during the August 2025 demonstration,” he said.

Usman also highlighted that the article charged by the prosecutor against Delpedro, Khariq, Syahdan, and Muzaffar is the same as that against Wawan. However, the judge’s ruling was different.

“The panel of judges on 6 March acquitted Delpedro, Khariq, Syahdan, and Muzaffar from the prosecutor’s two-year prison demand, which charged them with the crime of incitement under Article 246 of the new Criminal Code related to the August 2025 mass action,” Usman said.

“This is exactly the same article that Wawan received from the prosecutor during the indictment reading hearing. Wawan’s guilty verdict ultimately raises a big question: why does the same charge result in opposing rulings?” Usman continued.

This, according to Usman, proves the courts’ inconsistency in handling citizens’ constitutional legal rights.

“The courts’ failure to apply the same standards proves that the judiciary is inconsistent in handling citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights,” he said.

Usman also defended Wawan, stating that the contentious content was merely an expression of public anger over the death of online motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police tactical vehicle during the August 2025 demonstration.

“The riots were triggered by public anger over various pro-elite policies, further ignited by Affan Kurniawan’s death. Those responsible for the violent acts are the direct perpetrators, not those who express opinions about the August 2025 demonstration,” he said.

The Central Jakarta District Court panel of judges sentenced Wawan Hermawan to seven months in prison on Wednesday (7/4).

“Declares that the defendant Wawan Hermawan above has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing a criminal act,” said the chief judge Adek Nurhadi while reading the verdict.

“Imposes a prison sentence on the defendant of seven months,” Adek continued.

Previously, the Public Prosecutor (JPU) demanded one year in prison for Wawan, minus the time the defendant has been in detention, with an order for the defendant to remain detained.

Wawan was said to have been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing a public criminal act by orally or in writing inciting people to commit a crime or inciting people to resist the public authority with violence, as stipulated in Article 246 of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.

In the indictment, Wawan was said to have intentionally altered the narrative of news from an online media outlet to provoke the masses during the August 2025 demonstration wave.

Wawan was accused of posting content titled ‘Said Iqbal Urges Anarchists, Students & BEM to Immediately Join 28 August Action: This is Purely an Indonesian People’s Movement’.

The posted content was considered to differ from the original narrative published by Redaksikota.com on 26 August 2025, which instead contained an appeal for those groups not to join the labour action.

The prosecutor stated in the indictment that Wawan’s post provoked anarchist groups, students, and BEM, leading to riots that damaged public facilities.