A Jakarta court delivered what human rights organizations are calling a significant win for civil liberties on Friday, clearing four activists of accusations they sparked Indonesia’s most devastating civil unrest in more than two decades.
The unrest began in August of last year when thousands of students, civil rights advocates, and ordinary citizens took to the streets nationwide to oppose government budget decisions, particularly increased financial benefits for elected officials.
What started as peaceful demonstrations escalated into deadly violence following the police killing of a motorcycle taxi operator in Jakarta. The chaos continued through September, ultimately claiming 10 lives.
According to data from an independent monitoring group established by human rights organizations, authorities have detained nearly 7,000 individuals through February 2026, with 500 receiving sentences and 125 remaining behind bars.
The Central Jakarta court on Friday cleared Delpedro Marhaen, an employee of the Lokataru Foundation, a nonprofit that provides legal support to demonstrators. Marhaen became a prominent symbol of the movement following his September arrest.
Three additional defendants, including a coworker of Marhaen’s and two other advocates, also received acquittals.
The court determined none of the defendants were guilty of encouraging participation in the August demonstrations. They were also cleared of accusations they fueled violence by distributing false information and inflammatory content on social platforms.
The presiding judge further ruled they had not recruited underage participants, dismissing child exploitation charges against them.
“The ruling not only belongs to us but also belongs to all political prisoners.. Imagine we have been arrested for six months but now we are proven not guilty,” Marhaen stated following the proceedings while draping himself in an Iranian flag.
The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence characterized the decision as an “oasis in the rollback of Indonesia’s democracy.”
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation praised the outcomes as a modest triumph for individual freedoms while emphasizing the need for government action to safeguard free speech rights.
Political observers noted the demonstrations represented the first major challenge for President Prabowo Subianto following his overwhelming 2024 electoral success.
The civil disorder has been characterized as the most severe since 1998, when student demonstrations resulted in the removal of former President Suharto and concluded three decades of authoritarian governance.
