Hoax: Prabowo Claims He Will Prosecute Protesters

Jakarta – A Facebook post has circulated claiming that President Prabowo Subianto will prosecute all demonstrators on the grounds that their activities are controlled by foreign actors.

The post included a narrative stating that Prabowo would take firm action against protesters without exception, with the claim: “Prabowo Affirms! Will prosecute protesters, as he believes these are activities controlled by foreign actors.”

However, is it true that Prabowo will prosecute demonstrators in Indonesia?

Fact-Check Findings:

Based on investigation, no official statement was found from President Prabowo Subianto stating that all demonstration participants would be prosecuted.

The video referenced originated from the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel, titled “LIVE: Presidential Brief to the Central and Regional Government Coordination Meeting 2026, Sentul, 2 February 2026”.

In his remarks, Prabowo actually invited those who disagree with him to engage in healthy competition through political channels, including the 2029 elections. He also urged that differences of opinion should not always be channelled through demonstrations that could potentially lead to disorder.

Prabowo emphasised that criminal prosecution only applies when demonstrations become anarchic, such as in cases of arson or molotov cocktail attacks. He stressed that such actions constitute violations of law in the context of unlawful conduct, not to demonstrators as a whole.

Therefore, the narrative claiming Prabowo will prosecute all protesters constitutes misinformation and a hoax.

Claim: Prabowo states he will prosecute protesters

Rating: Misinformation/Hoax