Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has opened an online complaint post for missing persons. Kontras has opened the post to respond to the abundance of information on missing persons during the mass demonstrations in Indonesia from August 25 to 31, 2025.

Jakarta – The wave of demonstrations in Jakarta and several other regions over the past week has formulated a number of demands to the government regarding improvements in bureaucratic governance and law enforcement.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, has responded to a request from the United Nations Human Rights Office to investigate alleged human rights violations by security forces during recent mass protests.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) believes that the Indonesian government has not yet responded to the root causes of the recent protests occurring in various regions.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The West Java Regional Police have denied allegations that their officers fired tear gas directly at Bandung Islamic University (Unisba). According to the police, the smoke entered the campus area after being carried by the wind from the street.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor (GP Ansor), has begun deploying its security unit, Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), to support security efforts during the wave of demonstrations sweeping across Indonesia.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, or LBH Jakarta, criticizes President Prabowo Subianto's remarks on permission for people who wish to protest. According to LBH Jakarta's Director, Muhammad Fadhil Alfathan, citizens who wish to stage a demonstration are only required to submit a notice, not obtain permission.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced that the government will not impose new taxes or raise tax rates in 2026. Despite this, the state revenue target in the 2026 State Budget (RAPBN) is set to increase by 9.8%, reaching Rp3,147.7 trillion.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's plan to promote police officers injured during recent protests has sparked criticism from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH). The LBH argues that these promotions are inappropriate while many protesters are still injured or have died.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – A student from Tangerang, Andika Lutfi Falah, has died after allegedly being beaten by police during a protest. The 11th-grade student passed away at AL Mintohardjo Hospital on Monday, September 1, 2025, after being in a coma for three days.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited the family home of Andika Lutfi Falah, a student who died after joining a mass demonstration, in Puri Bidara Permai, Tigaraksa, Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Rights activists have called on the Indonesian government to return four treason-charged Papuans to their home province from South Sulawesi province to ensure their safety and a fair trial.

Fred Pearce – It was an unlikely destination for the first field visit by the new president of Indonesia. Last November, two weeks after taking office, Prabowo Subianto traveled more than 2,000 miles from his presidential palace in Jakarta to the remote coastal village of Wanam on the island of New Guinea.

Jayapura – Thousands of protesters who joined in solidarity with Papuan students held a peaceful demonstration urging the chief of the Southwest Papua Regional Police (Kapolda) and the chief of the Sorong City Municipal Police (Kapolresta) to investigate the violence allegedly committed by police officers against residents in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, during a riot there on Augu

Basten Gokkon – Researchers have developed the first model to map how supply and demand interact in Indonesia's highly lucrative songbird trade, revealing patterns that could help curb poaching pressure on rare and threatened species.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has seized 15 vehicles belonging to lawmaker Satori of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) as part of a probe into alleged misuse of social funds from Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Last week's protest in Jakarta resulted in infrastructure damage. The total loss exceeded Rp55 billion. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo stated that several damaged infrastructures, including shelters, toll gates, and closed-circuit television (CCTV).

On 28th and 29th August 2025, tens of thousands of Indonesian workers protested across provinces and sub districts such as Manokwari, Semarang, Solo, Magelang, Medan, Bengkulu, and Tegal with the epicenter of protest in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta.

Jakarta – Indonesia has made digital declarations mandatory for all international travelers beginning September 1, 2025, through the government's new All Indonesia app.

Antara, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) will continue to remain in the market to maintain the stability of the exchange rate and the adequacy of rupiah liquidity post the recent protests.

Elviza Diana, Bengkulu, Indonesia – Yesi held her daughter Helda tightly, but the little one still shivered for days in the tropical heat over Teluk Sepang, a bay on Sumatra's west coast.

"Her cough hasn't stopped for 10 days now," Yesi told Mongabay Indonesia. "I feel so sorry for her."

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Amnesty International criticized Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's statement mentioning efforts to take legal action against subversion and terrorism in the recent week-long unrest following demonstrations. Prabowo made this statement accompanied by the leaders of political parties in a press conference at the palace on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Prominent content creator Jerome Polin Sijabat, in collaboration with various civil society groups, is pressuring the government to address public grievances stemming from recent nationwide protests.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto stated that while the right to protest is guaranteed by law, demonstrations must follow strict rules, including obtaining a permit and concluding by 6:00 p.m.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has declared the arson attack on the South Sulawesi Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) building, which resulted in the deaths of four civil servants, an act of treason.

Indonesia is weighing the acquisition of Italy's decommissioned aircraft carrier as part of Jakarta's push toward a blue-water navy.

Newsweek contacted the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and the Italian Embassy for comment via email.

Why it matters

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Minister of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Meutya Hafid has revealed the existence of a significant amount of funding used to finance provocation and the spread of violent content on social media. This finding was obtained from monitoring the digital space in the past few days.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Many foreign nationals have shown support for Indonesian online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers amidst the recent week-long protests. This phenomenon was captured in a post by user X @sighyam on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

Jakarta – Unlike other types of corruption, corruption in the hajj pilgrimage management involves two wrongdoings in one. Firstly, it harms the state and millions of prospective pilgrims. Secondly, it manipulates the earnest desire of the faithful planning to undertake their obligations according to the fifth pillar of Islam.

Indonesia is in chaos, as massive protests have erupted over corruption, economic hardship, and police brutality. I call on all my people to get ready for another escalation back home. West Papua is ready to depart from this dying empire.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition believes that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has failed to understand the people's aspirations during the recent wave of protests.

The Indonesian Civil Society Coalition wishes to convey several things:

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition and the Indonesian Academic Alliance of Concern have responded to a speech by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto regarding the situation that has triggered large demonstrations in a number of regions since last week.

Yovanda Noni, Antara, Samarinda – Twenty-two students from Mulawarman University, East Kalimantan, were caught making dozens of Molotov cocktails that were allegedly intended for use in a protest scheduled for Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia announced Monday that it had extended its surplus streak for the 63rd month following a $4.17 billion positive trade balance in July.

Michael H. Hadylaya, Jakarta – In The Hunger Games, the Capitol glitters while the districts starve. The elites feast, dress extravagantly and stage parades as if hunger were a distant rumor. That was fiction, but in Indonesia today, the parallels feel striking.

Miriam Bahagijo, New York – The seats were almost full as the lights dimmed and an audio speaker transmitted the decades-old announcement of voice actress Marie Oentoe Tinangon, familiar to most Indonesian moviegoers: "The door to Theater 1 is open."

Rebecca Ratcliffe – Indonesian political parties have agreed to cut some lawmakers' perks, including a controversial $3,000 housing allowance, the president said, as security measures were stepped up in an attempt to halt protests that have gripped the country for a week.

Jakarta – Indonesia is living through one of its most volatile moments since the democratic transition of 1998. What began as scattered unrest has now spilled across cities, fueled by deep economic frustration, perceived elite impunity and a rising sense that the political class has grown deaf to the people's plight.

Agencies, Jakarta – Students and civil society groups called off protests on Monday after a week of escalating anger over lawmakers' pay and the police response, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots over the weekend.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Police in the Indonesian capital have arrested more than 1,200 people following a week of violent protests marked by looting and vandalism, Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri said on Monday.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded deflation of 0.08 percent in August 2025 on a month-to-month basis, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The figure is deeper than the 0.03 percent deflation seen in August last year.

Mohammad Muajijin, Kediri, East Java – The Regent of Kediri, Hanindhito Himawan Pramana, has called on looters to return cultural artifacts stolen during violent demonstrations on Saturday that left government offices burned and the Bagawanta Bhari Museum ransacked.

Rama Sukarta, Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy remains fundamentally strong despite a week of nationwide protests and violent unrest, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday.

Sukarjito, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia has suspended five lawmakers whose controversial remarks about parliamentary perks and displays of privilege inflamed public anger, triggering violent protests that swept across the country.

Basten Gokkon – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set up a new authority to build a massive seawall along the north coast of Java, a project aimed at shielding millions of residents from flooding and sinking land, but observers reject it as a true solution while highlighting risks, elite bias and lack of consultation.

West Papuan civil society and solidarity networks are calling for urgent action over a brutal Indonesian security forces crackdown that has led to a wave of arrests and political repression.

Protests erupted in Sorong, in the western part of the Melanesian territory, on Wednesday over the transfer of 4 political prisoners out of the territory.

Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – Indonesian political parties have agreed to revoke a number of perks and privileges for parliamentarians, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday, in a bid to calm anti-government protests that have left five people dead and caused the worst violence in decades in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Jakarta – Lawmakers at the House of Representatives returned to work on Monday with members of key commissions kicking off fresh rounds of deliberations on crucial legislation.

Members of Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs on Monday resumed their session to discuss details of the 2026 state budget with the leadership of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Antara, Jakarta – Two leaders of prominent Indonesian universities have urged the public to remain calm and exercise restraint in responding to the current political situation marked by demonstrations.

The Rector of the University of Indonesia (UI), Heri Hermansyah, said that the public should express their aspirations while preventing anarchic acts.