The Pusham UII Lambasts Police Actions Against Students
In a recent turn of events, the Pusham UII has come out swinging against the police for their various student arrests across Indonesia. These arrests have often been linked to clashes between authorities and students from Jakarta to Papua. Despan Heryansyah, the Director of Research and Publications at Pusham UII, pointed out that the situation during demonstrations cannot be viewed through a narrow lens. Sometimes, many uncontrollable factors come into play, making the atmosphere difficult to control. Despan even mentioned the presence of infiltrators who may incite riots. “Sometimes, these riot instigators are also members of the police force. Therefore, there needs to be an unbiased and fair fact-finding process, instead of just blaming students for causing ‘riots’,” Despan stated in an interview on Friday.
Despan also analyzed situations where students, already frustrated with the circumstances, are not met by local officials, leading to heightened emotions. He emphasized that the underlying issue in all of this is the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the law. “So, the starting point should be there. If there is indeed vandalism, it cannot be condoned, but it does not mean that individuals can be arrested without proper justification. This means that if the state treats people expressing their opinions and emotions in such a manner, it is as good as prohibiting students from voicing their opinions. Yet, freedom of speech is protected by the constitution. If you want to restrict it, then change the constitution first,” Despan added. He also called on the police to cease their repressive methods, focusing more on arrests and punishments. Despan reminded that the current direction of development is with a civil police force, strengthening the relationship between the police and the community to foster mutual understanding. “If these methods persist, then we are moving towards alienating the police from the public,” Despan concluded.
Student Arrests Spur Controversy Across Indonesia
Throughout this month, a series of student arrests have sparked controversy, starting with the International Labor Day (May Day) protests in front of the Governor’s Office and the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) in Central Java on Thursday, May 1, 2025. The Semarang City Police named six students as suspects in the riots that occurred. On May 6, a student from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design (FRSD) at ITB with the initials SSS was arrested by the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) for sharing a meme on social media. The meme allegedly depicted President Prabowo Subianto and former President Joko Widodo kissing. The police later suspended the detention of SSS after the initial arrest. Subsequently, on May 13, 2025, the Semarang City Police detained two students from Undip, MRS and RSB, on charges of involvement in the kidnapping of a police officer following the May Day commemorations on May 1, 2025. The two were apprehended in the Tembalang area of Semarang City. Lastly, on May 21, a total of 93 students from Trisakti University were apprehended by the police while staging a protest at Jakarta City Hall. Dozens of students are currently undergoing questioning at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters. In Jayapura, the actions of dozens of students from Cenderawasih University (Uncen) demanding a reduction in Single Tuition Fees (UKT) and semester fees on Thursday, May 22, 2025, were met with brutality by the authorities.
