Indonesia in 2025: Amnesty Warns of State Repression, Inequality, and Ecological Disaster

JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS — Amnesty International Indonesia has declared 2025 a “national human rights disaster,” warning that the country has experienced its most severe erosion of human rights since the Reformasi era.

In its year-end report released on Monday, the organization said Indonesia has moved sharply backward on human rights due to government policies that prioritize economic growth—often driven by deforestation—over human dignity, environmental protection, and meaningful public participation. The consequences, Amnesty said, include widespread state violence, shrinking civic space, deepening social inequality, and a devastating ecological crisis.

According to Amnesty, 2025 was marked by systematic repression of civil and political rights. Large-scale protests against revisions to the TNI Law, labor policies, National Strategic Projects (PSN), and parliamentary benefits were met with mass arrests, excessive force, and criminalization rather than dialogue.

Amnesty recorded 5,538 people arbitrarily arrested, assaulted, or exposed to tear gas simply for participating in demonstrations. The group also documented the use of tear gas grenades containing explosive materials during protests in August, raising concerns about permanent injuries. Instead of accountability, police regulations were loosened to allow broader use of firearms.

“The government and parliament showed authoritarian tendencies by pushing through controversial laws without meaningful public participation,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

He warned that the newly passed Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) could further legitimize abuses of power by law enforcement if left uncorrected.

Repression extended beyond street protests. Amnesty reported 283 attacks against human rights defenders in 2025, including journalists, environmental activists, and Indigenous leaders. Journalists accounted for 106 cases, while 74 involved Indigenous community members.