Dani Aswara – Director of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Jakarta, Fadhil Alfathan, stated that their team was not allowed to accompany hundreds of demonstration participants who were arrested by the authorities during a mass protest in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building, Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday, August 25, 2025.
"Legal assistance was not provided on the grounds that the demonstration participants were still being documented. It's not very clear what their purpose is in documenting them," said Fadhil in a brief message on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Based on the chronology, at 00:05 local time, the LBH team attempted to match the arrest data with the information provided by parents and companions in the field. However, when they went to the Directorate of General Crime Investigation (Ditreskrimum) of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, their access was denied on the grounds that all participants were still being "documented."
At around 00:30, the authorities stated that about 400 people were being held. LBH again tried to provide assistance but was refused. Similar efforts were made at 01:20, when the legal team tried to enter the Women and Children Protection Unit II (Renakta), but were still not allowed.
"We were promised a meeting with the police at 02:40 to explain the position of the detained children. But until early morning, the promise was not fulfilled," said Fadhil.
Parents of the detained participants also urged to be allowed to directly see the conditions of their children. Some legal companions who had witnessed it mentioned that there were participants with bruises and injuries on their bodies.
The demonstration titled 'Indonesian People's Revolution' was attended by thousands of people from various regions. One trigger for the demonstration was public scrutiny of the significant increase in the income of DPR members for the 2024-2029 period. A total of 580 legislators received a net salary of around Rp 100 million per month after the establishment of a housing allowance of Rp 50 million.
The situation in front of the parliament complex heated up during the day. The crowd at the time stormed the DPR building fence and was dispersed by security forces. Clashes broke out when the police fired tear gas into the crowd. Thousands of people scattered in various directions, with some jumping over the road barriers and entering the toll road section.