Indonesia protests leave 6 dead, 20 missing amid police crackdown

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Sep 2025 16:47
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Deadly protests in Indonesia over lawmakers’ perks and police violence have left six dead, 20 missing, and thousands arrested, prompting UN calls for an investigation.

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Indonesian soldiers hold flowers during a peace rally following days of violent protests against lavish allowances given to parliament members, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Violent unrest sweeping Indonesia has left at least six people dead, with rights group KontraS reporting Tuesday that 20 demonstrators remain amissing.

The protests, the largest since President Prabowo Subianto took power last year, were initially triggered by outrage over lavish perks for lawmakers but intensified after a viral video showed a young delivery driver, Affan Kurniawan, fatally struck by a police tactical vehicle during a rally. Seven officers have since been detained pending investigation.

KontraS said it had received 23 disappearance reports by Monday, with 20 still unresolved. Most of the missing persons were last seen in Bandung and Depok on Java Island, as well as in Central, East, and North Jakarta. "After the search and verification process, 20 missing persons remain unfound," the group stated, noting one case from an "unknown location."

The turmoil has also spread to the homes of senior officials. Over the weekend, the residence of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was looted by crowds on motorcycles in South Tangerang, with neighbors describing belongings carried away in waves. Other politicians, including NasDem lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni, also saw their residences targeted and property damaged.

Protest crackdown

Authorities have responded with mass arrests. Jakarta police say more than 1,200 people have been detained since August 25, while Central Java police reported over 1,700 arrests between Friday and Monday, the majority of them minors.

Of those, 46 have been named as suspects. Jakarta police spokesman Ade Ary Syam Indradi confirmed the arrest of activist Delpedro Marhaen, head of the Lokataru Foundation, "on suspicion of making provocative incitement to commit anarchic actions." He added that 38 others are suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails and torching a bus stop.

President Prabowo, who canceled a planned trip to China as the unrest escalated, condemned the violence from the presidential palace, warning that some actions were "leaning towards treason and terrorism." He stressed that the right to peaceful assembly should be respected, but said the government would act against illegal activities.

Though further demonstrations had been anticipated outside parliament in Jakarta on Tuesday, the deployment of soldiers in the capital has kept large crowds from forming. The UN human rights office has urged Indonesia to investigate the security response, citing concerns about "unnecessary or disproportionate" use of force.