Indonesia – Amnesty International Indonesia released a troubling report on 14 July 2025, documenting attacks against at least 104 human rights defenders across 54 separate cases during the first six months of the year.
The peak of violence occurred in May 2025, when 35 human rights defenders became victims of attacks, highlighting what Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director, Mr Usman Hamid, described as "the government's failure to respect efforts to protect human rights in Indonesia."
The report reveals that more than half of the attacks targeted indigenous community members fighting for land rights and journalists covering sensitive issues, with 36 indigenous community members and 31 journalists among the victims. Other affected groups included community leaders, fishers, human rights activists, student activists, environmental advocates, academics, farmers, and anti-corruption campaigners. Law enforcement officers emerged as the primary perpetrators, with police suspected in 20 of the 53 documented cases. This figure was significantly higher than attacks committed by private companies, government employees, military personnel, or public order agencies.
Amnesty International identified five distinct forms of persecution: police reporting, arrests, criminalization, intimidation, physical violence, and attacks on human rights institutions. The civil society organisation attributes this surge in violence to the rise in authoritarian practices and policies, as well as the militarisation of civilian space, calling for immediate government action. Neither Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai nor National Police spokesperson Inspector General Sandi Nugroho responded to requests for comment regarding the report's findings.