Indonesian authorities should impartially investigate allegations that military and police officers on November 10, 2026, responded to youth protests with excessive force and may have deliberately provoked violence, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces in the city of Yogyakarta on Java Island used rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas to disperse protesters, injuring several and detaining over 150 people, including children.
Student and activist groups had organized protests across several cities against corruption, environmental damage, and the rising cost of living on National Heroes' Day, November 10, and called for the resignation of President Prabowo Subianto. Police said that some protesters hurled rocks and firebombs at the provincial parliament building, leading to heavy security force deployment with columns of troops and armored vehicles.
"Indonesian authorities should impartially investigate alleged excessive force against largely peaceful protesters in Yogyakarta," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Reports that the police instigated some of the worst violence are especially troubling."
That evening, the generally peaceful protest turned violent when a group gathered outside Yogyakarta's Legislative Council building in the Jalan Malioboro area, a commercial hub and tourist landmark. After clashes broke out between protesters and police, security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds as the protests continued into the early hours of the morning.
A medical volunteer said the violence began around 7 p.m. when a group of unidentified people-suspected plain-clothes policemen and government supporters-appeared and began attacking students and other protesters. She said she saw security forces, both in uniform and in civilian clothes, assaulting at least 40 people then arresting them.
"I saw one person being beaten by 10 people," she told Human Rights Watch. "They kicked and stomped on him repeatedly. There was blood everywhere. I tried to protect the victim and was hit as well." She said that while she was recording the violence, an unidentified person seized her phone, and some men sexually harassed her when she was trying to assist victims.
A Papuan student was struck in the face by a teargas canister while riding a motorcycle through the area around Tugu Yogyakarta, the city's main landmark. "I fell, immediately felt disoriented, and lost consciousness," he said. Police subsequently arrested him and then took him to the hospital.
Overnight, police entered Gadjah Mada University to track down protesters and arbitrarily rounded up people, accusing them of violence.
"Tear gas was fired at us," said Diana Nuraini, a student journalist from Pijar Press at the university. "Teargas canisters were also launched about 100 meters from [nearby] Panti Rapih Hospital. The crowd ran into the campus." One protester suffered a skull fracture near the campus, while eight students were arrested.
Ova Emilia, the Gadjah Mada University rector, criticized acts of violence against university community members.
The Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) reported that at least 13 demonstrators could not be contacted in the aftermath of the clashes and expressed concern they had been unlawfully detained. The Yogyakarta Representative of the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia urged police not to treat protest as a criminal offense.
The Yogyakarta Regional Police said officers detained 157 people suspected of involvement in rioting and damage to public facilities. Police said they recovered Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, gasoline, and bladed weapons. On November 11, police released 154 people.
The national police chief, Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto, and the House of Representatives deputy speaker, Sufmi Ahmad Dasco, visited the protest site on November 11 and said that those responsible for using dangerous items such as Molotov cocktails and bladed weapons would be identified and prosecuted. General Seto said that the police would assess whether the demonstration was "genuine" or a deliberate attempt to foster violence. Neither criticized abuses by the security forces.
Under National Police Chief Regulation No. 8 of 2009, police officers are prohibited from using force on the pretext of serving the public interest or restoring order during riots.
The violence in Yogyakarta occurred amid large-scale deployments of security forces in several cities ahead of National Heroes' Day, which commemorates a battle for independence in 1945. In Jakarta, the government brought in tens of thousands of military personnel, while in Surabaya, a joint force of nearly 3,000, including 500 military personnel, was deployed to secure two demonstration sites.
The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental right protected under international human rights law. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials provide that officers should apply nonviolent means as much as possible and only use force when strictly necessary. When using force, law enforcement officials should exercise restraint and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offense and to the legitimate objective to be achieved.
The 2020 UN Guidance on Less-lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement provides that tear gas should only be employed when necessary to prevent further physical harm and should not be used to disperse nonviolent demonstrations.
The deployment of military forces for crowd control-responsibilities that ordinarily fall to the police-raises serious concerns about the misuse of force and the intimidation of protesters, Human Rights Watch said.
"Indonesia has a long history of military repression, and it's critical for the Prabowo government to ensure that there is no return to past practices," Ganguly said. "The government should recognize that its response to protests and respect for human rights will shape how the world views Indonesia's democracy."
