Eka Yudha Saputra – Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto regretted the arrogant attitude of Pati Regent Sudewo in responding to public protests against the 250 percent increase in the Rural and Urban Land and Building Tax (PBB-P2).

Indonesia, West Papua – On 10 August 2025, police officers from the Teluk Bintuni Police Department arbitrarily arrested two young women, Mrs Aksimina Muuk,20, and Mrs Derina Mosoum, 20, at Bintuni Bay Port, Papua Barat Province, along with a five-month-old infant and a five-year-old boy, Wene Husage.

Indonesia, West Papua – In the early hours of 7 August 2025, Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) reportedly raided the Oholumu Village, Mewoluk District, Puncak Jaya Regency, resulting in the burning of civilian homes, the destruction of church facilities, and the shooting of a 13-year-old girl named Y. W.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – The book The Jokowi Presidency: Indonesia's Decade of Authoritarian Revival was officially launched on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Central Jakarta. The launch was held in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the ANU Indonesia Project.

Putri Nurjannah Kurita, Sentani – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has called for peaceful actions to commemorate 63 years since the New York Agreement on August 15, 1962, and the racist incident against Papuan students in Surabaya on August 17, 2019.

Jamal Abdun Nashr – Police fired tear gas in various directions to disperse protesters calling for the resignation of Pati Regent Sudewo on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. The protest descended into chaos, leading to dozens being hospitalized.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Government and the United Nations launched the Indonesia-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030 on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at the Bappenas-UN Forum 2025, held at the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) in Jakarta.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has deployed dozens of personnel on a 12-day humanitarian mission to deliver aid via airdrop for Palestinians in Gaza, where the hunger crisis is spreading.

Dandi Bajuddin, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) projects that Indonesia's economic growth may still struggle to reach the 5 percent mark.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced Thursday that it had green-lit a $500 million policy-based loan for Indonesia to improve its tax collection.

The financial support comes at a time when Jakarta struggles with its annual tax revenue target, coupled with some mishaps surrounding the Coretax digital taxation platform.

Jakarta – Anybody concluding that the death of Arya Daru Pangayunan, a young diplomat from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was by suicide is being too hasty or intentionally cutting corners. There are a number of facts behind the death that do not support each other: the strange cause of death, unusual injuries, missing evidence and unexplained gaps in the timeline.

Salman Mardira, Banda Aceh, Aceh – Aceh Governor Muzakir "Mualem" Manaf has urged residents to refrain from hoisting the province's crescent-and-star flag during this week's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Aceh peace agreement.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Indonesia has seen foreign investors' appetite weaken despite surging domestic investment that took up the slack.

Alfitria Nefi P – A lecturer from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the UGM (Gadjah Mada University) Faculty of Engineering, Tumiran, questions the urgency of importing food trays for the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG).

Muhammad Firman, Jakarta – While the average company lifespan is just 40-50 years, according to Boston Consulting Group, some Indonesian firms have defied the odds, enduring for more than a century. These businesses have weathered colonial transitions, political upheavals, shifting consumer trends, and economic crises, and remain integral to the country's economy.

Criticisms continue to rage against the Timor-Leste government's plan to build a football stadium in a historically, culturally, and religiously significant environmental zone.

The opposition has grown as the government reportedly aims to start this year the proposed US$20 million stadium at Tasi Tolu, some eight kilometers west of the national capital, Dili.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia's middle class – long regarded as the backbone of domestic consumption and a key driver of national economic growth – has been shrinking sharply over the past five years, prompting calls for urgent government intervention, including tax relief.

Welcoming 80 years of Indonesian independence, the Indonesian History Transparency Alliance (AKSI) has warned of the dangers of a "national decline".

Indonesia, West Papua – The humanitarian crisis in West Papua continues. As of mid-August 2025, more than 80,709 people in West Papua [1] remain internally displaced as a result of armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

Erfan Maruf, Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – The government recently admitted that almost half of the social assistance did not reach the targeted households, while promising that they would improve the recipients' database.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's 2025 fire season is spiraling into one of the worst in recent memory, with a sharp spike in hotspots and toxic haze already choking parts of Malaysia.

Forest and peat fires, mostly caused by deliberate land clearing for agriculture, are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighboring countries.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia wants Japan to shorten its internship term to no more than a year, as Jakarta refuses to have its citizens work as "cheap labor" overseas.

Executive Summary

There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Indonesia during the year.

Muhammad Iqbal Ikromi, Jakarta – A massive protest involving tens of thousands of residents demanding the resignation of Pati Regent Sudewo descended into chaos at the Pati Regency Hall in Central Java on Wednesday, prompting the local legislature to initiate impeachment proceedings.

Jakarta – It is hard to believe that this is happening today, that 27 years after the Reformasi, the flying of a flag from a comic can be viewed as treason. The overreaction by the authorities to the flying of the One Piece flag further underlines their dislike of any dissent.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Devy Ernis – The decision by Pati Regent Sudewo to increase rural and urban land and building tax (PBB-P2) rates was met with a demonstration by thousands of residents on Wednesday August 13.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Pati Regent Sudewo is refusing to resign despite protests by residents on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. The demonstration turned chaotic, with police using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Indonesia, West Papua – Between April and July 2025, Papuan students in the Indonesian cities Gorontalo, Surabaya, Makassar, and Yogyakarta faced an alarming escalation of coordinated intimidation campaigns.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – Hundreds of thousands of workers planned to stage simultaneous demonstrations across 38 provinces on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Among their key demands is a minimum wage increase for 2026, ranging from 8.5% to 10.5%, as well as a sectoral minimum wage increase of 0.5% to 5%.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has arrested nine people in a sting operation in Jakarta over alleged bribery involving a state-owned forestry company.

Antara, Jakarta – The protest by Pati Regency residents against Regent Sudewo's policy and demanding his resignation descended into chaos. Initially peaceful, the demonstration turned violent.

The crowd damaged the fence of the regent's office, shattered glass windows, and set a car on fire, Antara reported on Wednesday afternoon, August 13, 2025.

Sapto Yunus – Member of Commission VII of the People's Representative Council (DPR) Bambang Haryo Soekartono said the Indonesian government needs to immediately evaluate the plan to relocate its capital city from Jakarta to the Nusantara New Capital City, or IKN, in Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – At least 34 people became victims of clashes during a demonstration in front of the Pati Regency Office, Central Java, on Tuesday, August 13, 2025. The demonstration demanded the resignation of Pati Regent Sudewo.

On 25 July 2025, Mr Yordan Nyamuk Karunggu, a Papuan activist from Nduga Regency, Papua Highlands Province, rejected accusations by Indonesian intelligence operatives and student groups alleging that he was a member of the TPNPB (West Papua National Liberation Army).

Basten Gokkon – In their latest study, a group of researchers from Indonesia, the U.K., and the U.S. find that heath forests (locally known as kerangas) span 16,586 square kilometers (6,400 square miles) – almost the size of Hawaii's land area – across Kalimantan.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Jakarta – Indonesia's music licensing body, Wahana Musik Indonesia (WAMI), has doubled down on its stance that wedding organizers must pay royalties for any live or recorded music played during the celebration, amid mounting public criticism over the policy.

Rama Sukarta, Jakarta – The United States has imposed a 19 percent import tariff on coffee from Indonesia, a move that local industry leaders say will hurt American buyers more than Indonesian producers, given the US's heavy reliance on imported coffee.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's flagship Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program could require more than Rp 300 trillion ($18.58 billion) in state funds annually by 2026 as the government expands coverage to 82 million beneficiaries, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Wednesday.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – Indonesia's Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named Sritex Director General Iwan Kurniawan Lukminto (IKL) as a new suspect in the case involving credit provided by PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat and Banten, PT Bank Jawa Tengah, and PT Bank DKI to Sritex.

Jakarta – When the tech boom was at its peak, its shine hid a lot of problems. But as the tech winter arrives, the water level has fallen, and like a drying lake, the ugly things at the bottom are now in plain sight.

Iim Halimatusa'diyah – The Indonesian social media scene has recently been flooded with short, humorous videos and memes illustrating social inequality. Phrases such as "kesenjangan sosial core" and hashtags like #kesenjangansosial have gained significant traction, particularly among younger users.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – A mass food poisoning incident, suspected to be caused by meals from the President Prabowo Subianto's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, has occurred again, this time affecting several students and teachers in Gemolong District, Sragen Regency, Central Java.

Faced with a growing number of dengue cases and deaths, Timorese authorities are releasing thousands of mosquitoes bred to slow the spread of disease.

Igor Oneill, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia has launched a photo book Paradise Silenced at KALA in Kalijaga, South Jakarta. Following International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the launch provided a joyful space for Indigenous Papuan representatives and the wider public to discuss the past, present, and future of West Papua (or 'Tanah Papua' as it is also known).

Gatra Priyandita – 17 August 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. Surrounding the commemorations are various discourses on whether Indonesia was colonised by the Netherlands for 350 years, or less than that. Regardless of the answer, traces of colonialism prevail.

Roy Adriansyah, David Wilson, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is investigating the death of Private Lucky Chepril Saputra Namo, who died from alleged abuse by fellow troops, as authorities detain 20 suspects, including senior officers.

Slamet Wibowo, Sidoarjo, E – Java. Police in Sidoarjo, East Java, have arrested three men suspected of creating a same-sex or LGBT community on Facebook that circulated pornographic content.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia could generate more than Rp 81 trillion ($5 billion) in additional revenue by imposing a wealth tax on just its 50 richest individuals, according to a study released on Tuesday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Peru is willing to drop most of the tariffs that it charges on Indonesian goods in the freshly signed trade pact with Lima, according to a senior government official.