The commemoration of 27 years of reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998 – was marked by the erosion of human rights through the ignoring of past human rights violations and their repetition in the present due to authoritarian policies and practices that undermine civil liberties, political and social justice, Amnesty International Indonesia said today.
"As authoritarian laws and practices proliferate for the benefit of a few, the state and civil society must immediately work together to re-protect human rights as a mandate of reformasi. The latest Constitutional Court ruling is the remaining modality", said Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid.
Erosion of political freedoms
Credible international indicators show an erosion of freedoms and human rights in Indonesia. Freedom House recorded a sharp decline in civil liberties and political rights, with Indonesia's democracy index dropping from a score of 62 in 2019 to 57 in 2024.
The 2025 World Press Freedom Index on May 3 recorded that Indonesia's press freedom index has continued to decline to 127th out of 180 countries. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) also still considers Indonesia a "flawed democracy". And the latest report from the V-Dem Institute noted that Indonesia has slipped from an electoral democracy to an electoral autocracy.
According to Amnesty International, this decline occurred because Indonesia moved away from the ideals of reformasi by weakening the rule of law and human rights, regional autonomy and guarantees of civil and press freedoms.
"Never mind the 1965-66 Tragedy or the 1984 Tanjung Priok Tragedy, the shooting of Trisakti students in 1998, the burning of poor urban children and the mass rapes of May 1998 which not too long ago escaped the supremacy of the law. These are extraordinary tragedies that have been forgotten. Instead of justice for the victims, the facts surrounding this tragedy are threatened with being lost by the government's policy of rewriting history", said Hamid.
The erosion of political freedom is also seen in the attacks on civil liberties and the press. In the latest case, the authorities arrested a Bogor Institute of Technology (ITB) fine arts student who made a meme of President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo kissing, who now face the threat of 12 years in prison and a fine of 12 billion rupiah.
Artistic freedom is also threatened as experienced by the closure of a painting exhibition by Yos Suprapto in Jakarta, the prohibition on the staging of a theatre performance titled "Interview with Mulyono" (Widodo's nickname) in Bandung and the recent withdrawal of the song "Pay, Pay, Pay" by the band Sukatani from Purbalingga following police intimidation.
Amnesty International Indonesia recorded that during 2019-2024 there were at least 530 cases of criminalisation of freedom of expression under the Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law against 563 victims. The perpetrators were dominated by the National Police cyber patrol (258 cases with 271 victims) and reports from the regional governments (63 cases with 68 victims).
Finally, the authorities arrested Diponegoro University students under criminal articles on "confinement" during the May Day action in Jakarta on May 1.
In the area of legislation, the new Criminal Code (KUHP) still has the potential to silence criticism, including articles on treason, blasphemy, insults and defamation of both state officials and institutions. The plan to revise the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) and the National Police Law also look more like a struggle for authority between the police and the prosecutor's office without prioritising human rights guarantees.
"The new KUHP needs to be revised again. Especially after the Constitutional Court issued a number of important rulings last April. One of them being to exempt government institutions, corporations, professions and positions from parties that can report alleged defamation. This is a positive modality that brings hope", said Hamid.
Aside from the declining press freedom index, Amnesty International and the Committee for the Safety of Journalists (KKJ) also recorded cases of intimidation and violence against journalists. The Draft Broadcasting Bill also has the potential to silence media criticism, especially investigative journalism.
In the five months from January to May this year alone, at least 29 journalists have been targeted in attacks.
Erosion of social rights
The erosion of social rights is evident in recent human rights violations triggered by the implementation of development policies, investment and political and security stability, as if it was in an authoritarian era. From Papua to Maluku, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java, Amnesty continues to receive credible reports of cases of customary land grabbing, intimidation, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, none of which have been fairly resolved.
"Indigenous figures such as Sorbatua Siallagan in North Sumatra or ordinary indigenous people such as those in East Halmahera have experience intimidation and criminalisation on baseless charges. If the state is unwilling to defend the rights of its own people, where else can they seek refuge?", asked Hamid.
"This means that there is not only a decline in political freedom. But also in social justice, which is seen from the inequality in the distribution of economic resources, especially due to cases of land grabbing, environmental destruction and exploitation of natural resources", he continued.
Amnesty's concerns also stem from official government data that reflects that socio-economic inequality in Indonesia is widening. National Statistics Data (BPS) data for example, clearly shows that the Gini coefficient increased from 0.379 in March 2024 to 0.381 in September 2024. This indicates that the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider.
Retreat of civil supremacy
Meanwhile Amnesty International Indonesia Deputy Director Wirya Adiwena added that one of the causes of the erosion of political freedom and social rights was the decline of civil supremacy.
"The [recent] revisions to the TNI [Indonesian Military] Law that expands the role of the military in civil affairs even leads to the weakening of civil supremacy and human rights violations. For example, the military has begun to monitor student activities under the pretext of regional monitoring such as the case of the Walisongo UIN [Islamic State University] in Semarang, the University of Indonesia in Depok and the Udayana University in Bali", Wirya said.
"Campuses are a place of freedom to think critically, to have dialogue, and to foster a diversity of ideas. The presence of the military, especially without a clear legal basis, can create a climate of fear, self-censorship, and the silencing of critical expression. These are the authoritarian practices of the past", Adiwena explained.
"Then, the involvement of the Indonesian Army in law enforcement and providing security for the Attorney General's Office at all prosecutor's offices throughout the regions also gives the impression that Indonesia is not a democratic country where civil supremacy and judicial independence are guaranteed", Adiwena continued.
"Sending troublesome students to [military] barracks can violate children's rights to protection from physical and psychological violence. Children need a long-term holistic approach, psychological support, emotions, and play, according to the spirit of the [UN] Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely in the best interest of the child", he continued.
Reformasi at its lowest point?
"The facts cannot be denied. The reformasi era that was fought for with sweat, blood and tears is now at its lowest point. In fact, it is not surprising that some people feel that reformation is dead", said Hamid.
"The authoritarian regime [of former president Suharto] did indeed die 27 years ago, but the authoritarian legacy has been able to live on in state policies and practices. Past authoritarian leaders who have failed to be tried [by the law] should not be made national heroes and their history of cruelty erased from collective memory", added Adiwena.
Despite these hardships, Amnesty sees that there is a good hope of saving the dignity of reformasi. In various regions, critical voices continue to emerge over the country's authoritarian policies and practices.
To that end, Amnesty is urging the state to once again make human rights a top priority. Not only to guarantee political freedoms such as freedom of expression and assembly without threat, but also to realise social justice through meaningful and inclusive public participation-based socio-economic policies.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "27 tahun Reformasi, Indonesia alami erosi kebebasan politik dan hak-hak social".]