Amnesty Urges Withdrawal of Military from Student Protest Security

Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has urged that military personnel deployed alongside police to secure a student alliance protest in Jakarta on Friday, 12 June 2026, be immediately withdrawn from the field. According to Usman, the deployment of a large combined force of police and military personnel risks excessive use of force in handling the mass action. “The massive deployment of police and military personnel in public spaces often creates an intimidating effect on civilians exercising their constitutional rights,” Usman said in a written statement on Friday, 12 June 2026. The 1998 activist also highlighted the military’s involvement in handling civilian protests. According to Usman, the military, as a state defence instrument, lacks the mandate or training to control civilian crowds, unlike the police who are specifically tasked with that function. He stressed that protest participants are citizens peacefully expressing their aspirations, not parties to be treated as threats. Usman also reminded the government not to ignore the violent events of the August 2025 Tragedy. He cited the incident as an example of the consequences of excessive force by security personnel, which led to mass arrests, criminalisation of activists, and casualties. “The state is obliged to provide a safe space for citizens to express their opinions,” he said. Usman also encouraged the police to refrain from repressing participants and to use persuasive enforcement methods. He urged security forces to prioritise a persuasive approach and avoid repressive actions against protesters. Usman also encouraged President Prabowo Subianto and the Red and White Cabinet to follow up on the students’ demands. These include evaluating the state budget allocation, lowering staple food prices, halting the Free Nutritious Meal Programme and the development of Red and White Village Cooperatives, and rejecting militarisation in the civilian sphere. “Student demonstrations are not a threat to national security. Authorities must protect freedom of expression and ensure the safety of demonstrators,” Usman said. Meanwhile, the Metro Jaya Regional Police, together with the military, prepared security for the protest centred in the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout area, Central Jakarta, on Friday. Head of Public Relations for Metro Jaya Police, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, said 4,151 personnel were deployed, consisting of 500 military personnel and 3,651 police officers. According to Budi, Metro Jaya Police respects the public’s right to express aspirations in public. He urged protesters to demonstrate orderly and respect other road users around the protest site. “The presence of personnel in the field is to provide service and security so that activities proceed safely, orderly, and without disturbing other members of the public,” Budi said in a written statement on Thursday, 11 June 2026. Several student alliances from universities in Jakarta and surrounding areas planned to hold protests on Friday afternoon. Confirmed protest plans so far include the Jakarta State University Alliance Against and the Indonesia Bankrupt Action spearheaded by the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board. The Jakarta State University Alliance Against will hold a protest within the campus grounds in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, at 1 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. The Indonesia Bankrupt Action mass, which originally intended to gather at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout, was forced by police to relocate to the front of the DPR/MPR building in Central Jakarta. University of Indonesia Student Executive Board Chair Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan said more than 1,000 students would join the demonstration. The crowd departed from the University of Indonesia campus in Depok using several buses divided into 16 groups. They are currently being held back by police in the Semanggi and Senayan areas of Central Jakarta.