Mass protests erupted in Indonesia on 25 August, as thousands gathered outside the Parliament in Jakarta to denounce a newly approved housing allowance for lawmakers worth nearly ten times the capital’s minimum wage. The demonstrations quickly spread nationwide, fueled by anger over President Prabowo’s harsh austerity measures, which have slashed funding for education, healthcare, and public works.
Protesters, led by the student movement Gejayan Memanggil, condemned what they described as “corrupt elites” and government policies serving powerful conglomerates and the military. Their demands reflect mounting concern over the expanding role of the armed forces in civilian life under Prabowo’s administration.
Tensions escalated sharply last Friday following the death of a 21-year-old delivery driver in Jakarta. Video footage showed an armored vehicle belonging to the country’s elite paramilitary police unit running him over as it charged through a crowd of demonstrators, triggering nationwide outrage and further inflaming unrest. In response, authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown, detaining more than 3,000 people since the protests began. Human rights organizations have urged an independent investigation into the excessive use of force by security forces, including the widespread deployment of tear gas to suppress dissent and deter further mobilization. The protests have now spread to nearly 50 cities across the country, with activists reporting at least 10 deaths, hundreds injured, and 20 people missing.
While international attention is currently focused on Jakarta, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) reminds the public that state repression in Indonesia did not begin in August 2025. For decades, excessive and unjustified use of military force has been a grim reality for communities in West Papua, the South Moluccas, and Acheh.
In West Papua, the government has recently deployed an additional 6,000 troops without offering any credible justification, highlighting the long-standing gap between Indonesia’s democratic claims and the reality on the ground. The West Papua Human Rights Center, on behalf of the people of West Papua, has consistently expressed its commitment to peace and diplomacy, and has put forward The Washington Solution as a concrete framework to open dialogue with the Republic of Indonesia through a third-party mediator, preferably the United States. This initiative seeks a lasting political solution, yet the Indonesian government continues to deny Papuans even the most basic right: to be heard.
In the South Moluccas, by March 2025, one Moluccan political prisoner and eleven Adat activists remained behind bars, with several serving life sentences after being tried for peacefully defending their fundamental rights, their culture and their land. Their actions, including the symbolic act of raising the Moluccan flag, were met with harsh criminalization. All these activists have stood against the destruction of their rainforests, the pollution of the sea and the erosion of their adat traditions. Their struggle reflects the systematic criminalization of peaceful activism and cultural identity in the region, where Moluccan culture itself risks being erased and absorbed into Indonesia.
As for the latest developments in Acheh, the most pressing issue is the addition or formation of five new military battalions. This move has been strongly rejected by Acehnese civil society, which sees it as a direct violation of the Helsinki MoU, the peace agreement signed between the Free Acheh Movement (GAM) and the Government of Indonesia two decades ago.
Today, UNPO welcomes the courage of Indonesian citizens who have risen to demand their fundamental rights: freedom of expression and a genuine democracy. Yet it is crucial to underline that the arbitrary arrests, killings and systematic violations now affecting protesters and activists across Indonesia are the same forms of repression that West Papuans, Achehnese, and South Moluccans have endured throughout their lives.
This moment must become an opportunity for Indonesian citizens to stand in solidarity with West Pappua, Acheh and South Moluccas, who for decades have faced state violence under a government that continues to operate in a dictatorial manner. UNPO stresses that dialogue, freedom of expression and respect for human rights are essential pillars of stability. Without mutual respect and genuine listening to its peoples, Indonesia will only face escalating unrest, risking a loss of control.
As has consistently been the case whenever populations face repression, it is the most marginalized, vulnerable and socially or politically excluded communities who suffer the harshest consequences. These peoples often experience the greatest loss of life, freedom and access to basic rights, while being disproportionately targeted by state violence and oppression.
UNPO stands in solidarity with its members, the people of West Papua, the South Moluccas, and Acheh, who have endured decades of systematic oppression. We also stand with all peoples, human rights defenders, and citizens striving for the respect of inclusive and pluralistic democracies grounded in the universality of fundamental human rights. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to supporting these communities in their pursuit of justice, recognition, and basic freedoms, and we call on the Indonesian government to immediately uphold and protect their fundamental rights.
