TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Mother's Voice Movement has submitted a formal letter to Jakarta Metro Police Chief Inspector General Karyoto, urging the immediate release of 16 Trisakti University students who were arrested and named as suspects following a protest that turned chaotic during the 27th anniversary commemoration of the Trisakti Tragedy at Jakarta City Hall on May 21, 2025.
"Today, we request, or rather plead, that the Indonesian Police expedite the release of the detained students who are currently named as suspects," said Indonesian Mother's Voice Movement Coordinator Avianti Armand, when met at the Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Avianti is worried that naming the suspects and the detention of the students will impact their academic and future. According to Avianti, naming the suspects and detaining the demonstrating students can threaten freedom of speech and instill fear in the younger generation.
Therefore, they urge the police to stop violence, repression, and intimidation against people expressing their opinions in public. "And to end the criminalization of youth and people who voice political demands and differences of opinion," she said.
Aside from demanding the release of Trisakti students, Avianti also stated that they are pushing for the police to immediately release other students who have been detained since the demonstrations on May 1. This includes eight students in Semarang who are still detained at the Central Java Regional Police Headquarters.
The Jakarta Metro Police have named 16 Trisakti students who participated in the demonstration in front of the Jakarta City Hall that ended in turmoil.
"They have committed criminal acts of provocation, assault, abuse, and resistance against officers," said the Jakarta Metro Police Public Relations Head, Grand Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi on Sunday, May 15, 2025.
Ade mentioned that the incident occurred when the demonstrators tried to force their way into the City Hall complex and attacked the security officers guarding the entrance gate.
The police have charged the suspects with several articles in the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP), namely Article 160 on provocation, Article 170 on collective violence, Article 351 on abuse, and Articles 212, 216, and 218 on resistance against officers. The punishment for these articles ranges from four months to six years in prison.
The protest, which marked the 27th anniversary of the 1998 reform movement, went viral on social media after videos emerged showing students and police involved in physical altercations.
They had several demands, one of which was to declare the 4 Trisakti students who were shot and killed during the Trisakti Tragedy, namely Elang Mulia Lesmana, Heri Hertanto, Hafidin Royan, and Hendriawan Sie, as heroes.
Vedro Imanuel Girsang contributed to the writing of this article.
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