September 18, 2026 | 07:01 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), together with a coalition of civil society groups, has urged Indonesian police to immediately release two youth activists identified by their initials R and Z and drop the legal proceedings against them.
The two activists were arrested ahead of a demonstration near the Parliament Complex in Central Jakarta on August 27, 2026. They are being held at the detention facility of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police's Directorate of Detainee Care and Evidence.
Balqis Zakkiyyah, a TAUD representative from digital rights group SAFEnet, said the case against R and Z should not have been initiated in the first place.
“Civil society and young people have the right to express themselves safely in digital spaces and to criticize what is happening,” Balqis told reporters at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters on Wednesday, September 16.
Balqis said R and Z were detained based on a Type A police report, which she alleged resulted from police cyber patrol activities. Police arrested the two based on their digital activity on the social media accounts of the Independent Campus Committee.
The account frequently discusses local issues in Aceh, campus affairs, democracy and human rights.
Balqis said the case lacked a legal basis and could set a negative precedent for freedom of expression in digital spaces. She criticized the police for targeting critical young people instead of focusing on cybercrimes such as fraud, digital violence and doxxing.
Activists challenge extended detention
The advocacy team also questioned the continued detention of R and Z, saying their initial detention period had already expired the previous week.
TAUD representative Gema Gita Persada said investigators from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police's Cybercrime Directorate had instead extended their detention for another 40 days.
“As of today, there has been no further examination. So there is no urgency for the police to continue detaining R and Z,” Gita said.
The advocacy team urged the police to release the two activists and restore their constitutional rights. As part of their legal efforts, the team has also submitted a request for their detention to be suspended.
“We hope it will be responded to promptly by suspending the detention of our friends R and Z,” Gita said.
Police arrested 65 people ahead of protest
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police's Public Relations Division previously announced the arrest of 65 people ahead of the August 27 demonstration near the Parliament Complex in Central Jakarta.
Police said the group intended to “hijack” the demonstration taking place outside the MPR/DPR/DPD complex.
Of the 65 people arrested, 63 were detained by personnel from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police's General Criminal Investigation Directorate. The remaining two, R and Z, were arrested by the Cybercrime Directorate about a week earlier.
Police alleged that R and Z had manipulated cyber data to make it appear authentic.
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