Professors and Intellectuals Condemn Undermining of Student Movement

Dozens of figures comprising professors, activists, and intellectuals from various universities and institutions across Indonesia have declared their support for the student movement fighting for justice and democracy. They are members of the Interdisciplinary Intellectual Forum, or FIAD. FIAD representative Usman Hamid stated that his group’s support is inseparable from the increasingly massive efforts to undermine, suppress, and co-opt critical movements led by students. He described such actions as a real threat to democracy and civil liberties. “The student movement is an important pillar of this nation’s history of struggle,” Usman said in a written statement on Saturday, 27 June 2026. He explained that throughout history, the student movement has proven itself as an agent of change, boldly voicing truth and justice. When crucial issues such as economic inequality and civil liberties are ignored by the state, students become the public’s hope for reminding the authorities of civilian supremacy. Therefore, Usman said, FIAD condemns all forms of undermining and intimidation against the student movement, especially since freedom of expression and association are human rights protected by the constitution. He reminded that the role of intellectuals is not limited to the classroom but extends to the public sphere. As educated people, FIAD members have a moral responsibility to defend truth and justice, particularly those voiced through the student movement. “We therefore declare our full support for the student movement and will continue to stand in solidarity in the struggle for the founding fathers’ ideals based on humanity and social justice,” said the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia. The dozens of professors, activists, and intellectuals in FIAD include STF Driyarkara lecturer Setyo Wibowo, Padjadjaran University constitutional law professor Susi Dwi Harijanti, Gadjah Mada University law professor Zainal Arifin Mochtar, and former Attorney General Marzuki Darusman. Previously, a report titled “How the Authorities Undermine the Student Movement,” published on 25 June 2026, detailed efforts by the authorities to co-opt student movements, including alleged bribery of Bung Karno University students to relocate a demonstration and hold a closed audience with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Prior to the UBK case emerging, a number of student organisations calling themselves BEM Bersatu had voiced their rejection of the alleged hijacking of the student movement for practical political interests. “The student movement must remain the voice of the people, not a tool for elites in power struggles,” said spokesperson Rahmat Djimbula in Jakarta on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, stressing the need to maintain the independence of the student movement from practical political intervention.