BEM UI Claims to Have Sent Protest Notification, Police Deny

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) claim they did not receive a notification letter from the University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Body (BEM UI) regarding a protest planned at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout on Friday afternoon (12/6). This contradicts the assertion by Anandaku Dimas Rumi Chattaristo, Chair of BEM at UI’s Faculty of Law, who stated his organisation had submitted the notification. “We have tried to convey that we have given a protest notification letter, and we have also published all details regarding the protest location and so on across our social media,” Dimas said. He added that the letter specified the protest would be held at the Bundaran HI. “As previously stated, we have submitted a written notification to the Indonesian National Police, specifically the Central Jakarta Police. Because we indeed planned that this action would be carried out at the Bundaran HI, friends,” Dimas explained. However, this claim was refuted by the Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya, Commissioner Budi Hermanto. “As of 5:34 PM today, we have checked with the Depok Police, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security of Polda Metro Jaya, and the Central Jakarta Metro Police, and no letter has been received from BEM UI regarding the delivery of aspirations today,” Commissioner Budi Hermanto told reporters. “We emphasise that there has been no, or as of this second, there is no notification letter,” he added. Budi explained that, referring to Article 10 of Law Number 9 of 1998, a protest notification letter must be submitted at least 3x24 hours in advance. Within that timeframe, he said, the police coordinate with field coordinators to prepare security for the demonstration. “Regulations for security personnel at the secured location will be prepared, meaning we must manage traffic flow, so we also have to inform the entire public about these activities of conveying aspirations, so that the public can consider using alternative routes, not suddenly,” he stated. Furthermore, Budi denied the statement from BEM UI claiming they had sent a notification letter regarding the protest at the HI roundabout that day. “Again, as we conveyed during our social media patrol, one of the BEM UI students stated they had sent a notification letter to Polda Metro Jaya. And we deny that, as far as we are concerned, we have not received or did not receive any notification letter. We remind you of the provisions in Article 10 of Law Number 9 of 1998,” he said. Earlier, protesters attempted to breach the barricades set up by police around Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta. According to CNNIndonesia.com’s observations, joint TNI-Polri officers had been blocking the mostly student protesters since 2:30 PM WIB. Authorities did not permit the crowd to hold a demonstration at the Bundaran HI. At the location, besides students wearing university jackets, there were also individuals not wearing such attire. Several pushing incidents occurred between protesters and officers. The officers pushed back the crowd attempting to breach the barricades. One of the groups involved in the day’s action was BEM UI. They brought five demands: first, urging the government to stop state budget (APBN) waste; second, to lower prices of staple goods and fuel (BBM); third, to halt the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme and the construction of the Red and White Village Cooperatives; fourth, to stop civilian militarisation; and fifth, demanding President Prabowo Subianto stop evading responsibility and acknowledge his administration’s mistakes. Regarding protest notifications, demonstrations are a fundamental right to express opinions, guaranteed by Article 28E paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution. The procedures for demonstrations are regulated by Law 9/1998, including the requirement to submit a written notification to the police. As explained by Budi, the written notification must be submitted by the concerned party, leader, or person in charge no later than 3x24 hours before the activity begins. After receiving the notification, the police are obliged to immediately issue a Notification Receipt (STTP) and prepare security measures. Citing the official website of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), the police essentially do not have the authority to reject or prohibit a protest as long as it does not violate the law. LBH states that the notification letter is intended to allow authorities to manage traffic and ensure the safety of participants and the surrounding community, not as a request for permission. However, Article 256 of Law 1/2024, the new Criminal Code (KUHP), stipulates that anyone who holds a parade, protest, or demonstration on public roads or in public places without prior notification to the authorities, resulting in disruption of public interest, causing chaos, or public disorder, shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of six months or a maximum fine of category II. This article was challenged in a judicial review by a dozen students at the Constitutional Court (MK). However, in ruling Number 271/PUU-XXIII/2025 delivered on Monday (2/3/2026), the Court rejected the petitioners’ request in its entirety. Citing the MK’s website, in the legal considerations read by Constitutional Justice Ridwan Mansyur, the Court held that if the right to express opinions in public has been notified to the authorities, the perpetrator cannot be charged under the norm of Article 256 of the KUHP. This also applies even if the parade, protest, or demonstration results in disruption of public interest. Furthermore, Ridwan stated that normatively, if such an activity is not notified to the authorities but does not cause disruption of public interest or chaos, it also does not fulfil the elements of the article.