Delpedro Marhaen: Today's Trial Will Decide the Fate of Freedom of Expression
In Jakarta’s Central District Court on Friday (6 March), four defendants — Delpedro Marhaen, executive director of Lokataru Foundation and a defendant in an incitement case, along with Muzaffar Salim (Lokataru staff), Syahdan Husein (Admin @gejayanmemanggil), and Khariq Anhar (a student at Universitas Riau) — staged a theatrical act by unfurling an Iranian flag inside the courtroom just before the reading of the verdict. Delpedro said the flag-raising was a show of solidarity with the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in an air strike by the United States and Israel on 28 February 2026. ‘This action is solidarity with the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,’ Delpedro told attendees in the courtroom. He described the attack on Khamenei as a real threat to the sovereignty of the global community, which he argues bears a link to the suppression of freedom of expression he faces.
In addition to the solidarity gesture, Delpedro pressed President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw from the Board of Peace (BoP). Prabowo had just signed the BoP charter in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026 to support post-conflict stability in Gaza. ‘We demand that President Prabowo resign from BoP,’ he said.
Delpedro stressed that the trial is not merely a personal matter but a test for the future of Indonesia’s democracy. ‘Today, those on trial are not Delpedro, Syahdan, Muzaffar, or Khariq; they are the fate of free expression for the next generation of young people,’ the activist added.
The four defendants had previously been charged by Prosecutor with two years’ imprisonment for incitement linked to the wave of demonstrations in August 2025.
At the time of reporting, the panel of judges at the Jakarta Pusat District Court were preparing to deliver their verdict.
Other items in the report included: Syamsu Rizal, a member of the House of Representatives Commission I from the PKB faction, supported Prabowo’s plan to evaluate Indonesia’s membership of the BoP after the US and Israel attacked Iran; Islamist group Front Pembela Islam (FPI) sent a letter to Prabowo urging Indonesia to withdraw from the BoP; President Prabowo reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to BoP; Prabowo used a meeting with ulama and leaders of Islamic organisations to explain Indonesia’s diplomacy within the BoP; the Israel-US-Iran conflict has some impact on Indonesia.