LBH Jakarta Reveals Alleged Violations During Arrest of Labour Protest Crowd at DPR
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) states that 51 people who were temporarily detained during the International Labour Day (May Day) action in front of the DPR/MPR RI Building, Jakarta, on Friday (1/5/2026), have been released.
LBH Jakarta Public Lawyer, Nabil Hafizhurrahman, said that these dozens of people were part of the 101 individuals previously detained by Polda Metro Jaya.
“From those 51 people, as of last night, those who were arrested have undergone the release process. Although gradually waiting for their respective families to pick them up,” Nabil said when contacted by Kompas.com on Saturday (2/5/2026).
Nevertheless, LBH Jakarta has spotlighted allegations of procedural violations in the arrest process.
“There are several alleged KUHAP violations, such as the protest crowd whose mobile phones were seized, even though no suspected criminal acts had been found,” he said.
In addition, LBH Jakarta also noted allegations of arbitrary searches against people with certain characteristics, including those wearing black clothing.
According to Nabil, the majority of those detained were the result of police sweeps, and some were even said not to have arrived at the protest location in the DPR area.
LBH Jakarta assesses these actions as potentially constituting a form of restriction on the freedom of expression in public, which is guaranteed by law and the constitution.
Nabil also revealed statements from several protesters who claimed they were directed by plainclothes officers to board a bus to a specific destination, but were instead taken to the Polda Metro Jaya headquarters.
“At that time, there were plainclothes police around Palmerah who then directed the protesters to board a bus to a concert venue. Instead of arriving at the concert venue, the bus headed to Polda Metro Jaya,” he said.
To date, they have not found anyone designated as a suspect.
“So far, from the 51 people we have recorded, no status as suspects has been found, and they have all been released,” Nabil said.