Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – A recent survey by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) suggests that Indonesia's freedom of expression and civil liberties have not improved in the first year of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration.
Majority see little or no progress
According to Celios legal researcher Muhammad Saleh, 35 percent of respondents said there has been no improvement in the condition of free speech and civil liberties compared to the previous government. Meanwhile, 28 percent believed that such freedoms remain "very unprotected."
"Only 13 percent of respondents feel that civil liberties are currently protected," Saleh said in the Celios report released on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
Saleh explained that the survey indicates a growing perception among the public that the space for free expression is narrowing.
He cited several contributing factors, including the use of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, the security-heavy approach to protests, and legal proceedings that lack transparency or due process.
Declining freedom under the previous administration
Concerns about shrinking civic space are not new. During Joko Widodo's presidency, surveys conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia also recorded rising fear among citizens to express opinions publicly.
In a 2020 survey, 47.7 percent of respondents said they "somewhat agreed" that people were increasingly afraid to express their views, while 21.9 percent said they were "very afraid."
At the time, Indikator's Executive Director Burhanuddin Muhtadi said the findings pointed to growing threats against freedom of speech and civil liberties.
"The majority of the public tend to agree that people are increasingly afraid to voice their opinions," Burhan said on October 25, 2020.
Two years later, in 2022, Indikator's follow-up survey found that 62.9 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that citizens were more afraid to express opinions during the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin administration.
"The results are very interesting. We found that fear of expressing opinions continued to increase," Indikator researcher Kennedy Muslim said on April 8, 2022.
Crackdown on protests and activists
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) observed that restrictions on free speech have worsened under the Prabowo-Gibran government. YLBHI Chair Muhammad Isnur said authorities have intensified repressive actions and criminalization against pro-democracy activists.
YLBHI recorded that 5,444 people were arrested during demonstrations at the end of August, and 997 were named suspects.
"In Jakarta, for example, six activists were charged with incitement. This sets a worrying precedent," Isnur said.
He added that the narrowing space for free speech was further legitimized by President Prabowo's remarks labeling demonstrators as subversive or terrorist actors during the August unrest.
"Instead of identifying the real perpetrators, the government is criminalizing activists who express dissent," he said. "Democracy is not in good shape – both during Jokowi's and Prabowo's eras."Government Yet to Respond
Tempo has reached out to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and Deputy State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro to seek comments regarding the survey findings and the public criticism of restricted civic space.
As of publication, messages sent via WhatsApp showed only two gray ticks, indicating they had been delivered but not read.