August 25, 2025 | 11:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A photojournalist from the National News Agency Antara, Bayu Pratama, reported being assaulted by police officers while covering the protest near the House of Representatives (DPR) and People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) complex in Jakarta on Monday, August 25, 2025.
Bayu said he was struck several times with a baton as he photographed police dispersing demonstrators.
“Even though I was carrying two cameras and wearing my ID card,” Bayu told Antara on Monday.
He explained that he tried to block the blows with his hand, but the strikes ended up hitting his camera. The equipment was badly damaged, and Bayu sustained minor injuries. “The camera was broken from the hits, and my left hand is scratched,” he said.
Bayu expressed regret over the repressive actions, saying that such behavior showed the police’s inability to distinguish between journalists and protesters.
Since the morning, thousands of demonstrators had gathered in front of the DPR building. The protest lasted into the evening before police forcibly dispersed the crowd. Protesters later regrouped at the rear entrance of the complex.
The rally was triggered by calls circulated anonymously on social media by a group calling itself the “Indonesian People’s Revolution.” The group urged the public, workers, farmers, and students to take to the streets, demanding investigations into alleged corruption involving the family of former President Joko Widodo and the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“Let’s push the DPR to carry out its function as a check on the government,” one of the circulated messages read.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta strongly condemned the assault on Bayu. AJI Jakarta Chair Irsyan Hasyim criticized the police for failing to protect journalists in the field.
“Despite being clearly identified as a journalist, Bayu was beaten with a baton by police,” Irsyan said in a written statement on Monday.
According to AJI Jakarta, violence against journalists continues to occur frequently, including at the hands of law enforcement.
Between June 2024 and June 2025, the organization recorded more than 20 reports of such incidents, including during the May Day demonstrations in 2025 and protests against revisions to the Indonesian National Army Law. Nationally, AJI documented 52 cases of violence against journalists up to June 2025.
“This police action clearly cannot be tolerated,” Irsyan said, urging the police to change their approach to handling demonstrations by prioritizing respect for human rights and ending repressive measures.
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