Prison sought for activists in August unrest sparks outcry in Indonesia over free speech

Activists rallying at the South Jakarta District Court on Oct 27, 2025, after the court rejected fellow activist Delpedro Marhaen’s pretrial motion against the police for naming him a suspect of inciting riots during the August protests without due process. - Antara

JAKARTA: The prison sentences sought by Attorney General’s Office (AGO) prosecutors for four activists accused of inciting nationwide riots in August of last year has drawn strong criticism from rights groups, which denounced the prosecution as an attempt to silence government critics.

Last Friday (Feb 27), prosecutors demanded the Central Jakarta District Court sentence Lokataru Foundation director Delpedro Marhaen and staff member Muzaffar Salim, online activist Syahdan Husein from student movement Gejayan Memanggil and Riau University student Khariq Anhar to two years in prison.