JakartaPost-Mar 9, 2026
Civil society groups welcomed the acquittal of four human rights activists charged with inciting last August’s nationwide riot as a victory for freedom of expression, as officials called law enforcement officers to respect and not challenge the ruling. The bench upheld that the activists were only exercising their right to express disappointment toward the government through 19 social media posts, rejecting prosecutors’ indictment that the posts contributed to riots. The Alliance of Youth Movement Against Criminalization (GMLK), which monitored and assisted hundreds of people detained after the August unrest, called the ruling “a breath of fresh air amid bad news in democracy”, said GMLK campaigner Vamellia Bella. “It affirms that democracy and freedom of expression are never given for granted, but must be continuously fought for and voiced,” Vamellia said. But she said the victory was not complete, as many of the other protesters had been convicted or remained in custody, showing inconsistency in how courts handled protest-related criminalization cases. More than 7,000 activists, students and protesters were arrested during and after the August riots, with more than 700 of them detained as political prisoners, according to GMLK. By late February, at least 500 had been convicted of various offenses, including assault and firearm use, while only seven were acquitted. “We hope this ruling can become a contagious precedent,” Vamellia said. “We hope judges across courts will be brave in breaking the chain of criminalization against citizens exercising their constitutional rights to express opinions.”
