Amnesty International Indonesia Demands Release of Netizens Arrested Over Prabowo Speech

Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director, Usman Hamid, condemned the arrest of two netizens in Cimahi, West Java, after they posted and commented on President Prabowo Subianto’s speech about Iran’s nuclear program. He said the police action “violates the Constitutional Court’s ruling that digital disturbances are not a criminal offence under the ITE law” and that the ruling also excludes government bodies from filing defamation suits. Hamid called for the immediate, unconditional release of the detainees, urging that “the cyberspace should be a safe venue for expression and debate” and warning against the criminalisation of online criticism.

The West Java Police (Polda Jawa Barat) reported receiving a complaint on 4 August 2026 and detained the individuals, identified as AYP – accused of creating, editing and transmitting the content on the platform Threads – and AF, who allegedly posted provocative comments. Police justified the arrests by claiming the remarks “threatened national unity and created public disorder,” a rationale Hamid described as “unfounded and contrary to the Constitutional Court’s decision.”