Jakarta: Thousands of Indonesians protested outside police headquarters in Jakarta on Friday after a young motorcycle taxi driver was struck and killed by an armored police vehicle during demonstrations in the capital, sparking widespread outrage across the country.
Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old taxi and delivery rider, was run over by the police vehicle on Thursday night when a protest in central Jakarta turned chaotic.
Amateur videos circulating widely online showed the fatal crash and the armored vehicle leaving the scene. Amid rising public anger on social media, fellow drivers staged a late-night rally to demand justice for the victim.
Tensions were high as protests continued in different parts of Jakarta on Friday, with people chanting “Killers!” as they gathered outside the headquarters of the Mobile Brigade anti-riot police, the national police, and the Jakarta police.
Many of the protesters were motorcycle taxi drivers dressed in their signature green jackets, similar to the one Kurniawan was wearing when the incident took place.
Seven officers who were in the armored vehicle have been named suspects and an investigation is underway, Abdul Karim, head of the professional and security division of the Indonesian police, told a press conference on Friday.
In a recorded video message, President Prabowo Subianto said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the “excessive actions” of the officers.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation into last night’s incident, and for all officers involved to take responsibility,” he said. “In this situation, I urge the public to remain calm (and) to put trust in the government that I am leading.”
Indonesia’s national police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, issued a public apology hours after the incident on Thursday, promising that the police would investigate.
“I deeply regret the incident and extend my sincerest condolences to the victim, his family, and the entire ride-hailing community,” he said.
The demonstrations on Friday were the third major protest in Jakarta this week, initially fueled by increasing public anger against lawmakers and the government. Demonstrations have also spread to other Indonesian cities, including Bandung in west Java, and Surakarta in central Java.
Students, workers, and activists began demonstrating outside Indonesia’s parliament on Monday in protest at the payment of what they say is an exorbitant housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,030) for each lawmaker, almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.
Protests continued and spread to various parts of Jakarta on Thursday, with demonstrators also demanding higher wages, lower taxes, and government intervention to stop mass layoffs.
During the protests police officers in riot gear fired tear-gas canisters and used water cannon to try to disperse the crowds.
“The brutal actions and use of violence by officers who are fully armed and deadly not only violates the principles of democracy and human rights, but confirms that the government and law enforcement officers fail to … create a state that sides with the people,” a coalition of 211 civil society organizations, which include the Jakarta Legal Aid and Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, said in a statement.
At least 55 people have died due to police violence between July 2024 and June 2025, the coalition said.
“The government’s silence over the national police’s brutality is the same as giving them a blessing. It’s even worthy of suspecting that violence is the state’s strategy to silence critics.
“We believe this tragedy demonstrates a dangerous path for democracy. Without change, this country will no longer be a democracy, but rather a tyrannical state in a new guise,” the statement added.
Outrage grows in Indonesia after police ram delivery rider in fatal protest clash
https://arab.news/vj8hd
Outrage grows in Indonesia after police ram delivery rider in fatal protest clash
- Major protests in Jakarta this week fueled by rising public anger over ‘exorbitant’ allowance for lawmakers
- On Friday, demonstrations spread to other Indonesian cities, including Bandung, Surakarta
I want answers from my ex-husband, Gisele Pelicot tells AFP
- Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who became a symbol in the global fight against sexual violence, told AFP why she wants to visit her ex-husband in jail and her joy at finding love again
PARIS: Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who became a symbol in the global fight against sexual violence, told AFP why she wants to visit her ex-husband in jail and her joy at finding love again.
In an interview ahead of the publication of her memoirs on Tuesday, she also said she hopes to inspire other rape victims to believe in a brighter future — and to change attitudes along the way.
Her book, titled “A Hymn to Life,” covers the full arc of her 50-year marriage which ended when she discovered that her husband had been repeatedly drugging her and inviting strangers over to their house to rape her.
It will be published in 22 languages.
The title of your book in French is “And the joy of living.” Have you found joy again?
“I’m doing better. After the trial (of her husband and 50 other men in 2024), I took stock of my life and today I am trying to rebuild on this field of ruins.
Despite all these ordeals, even in the darkest periods, I have always sought flashes of joy; I am looking toward the future, toward joy. I know this may surprise some who expect to see me in tatters, but I am determined to remain standing and dignified.”
Some describe you as an icon. Do you embrace that status?
“I do not use that word. I think my story has become a symbol. I know where I come from and who I am. It seems to me that we do not suspect the strength we have inside us until we are forced to draw on it, and that is also what I would like to say to victims.”
Why did you write this book?
“I needed to bear witness to my life journey, to address all those who supported me; it was a way of responding to them. Writing this book with (French author) Judith Perrignon, in whom I had complete trust, was both painful and fascinating.
Beyond the case itself, it retraces my life, the journey of three generations of women: my grandmother, my mother and myself. Their example explains my strength because I experienced tragedies very young. When you lose your mother at age nine, you grow up faster than others.”
Have you had professional psychological help to overcome your trauma?
“Of course, I could not get through this alone. How do you sort through 50 years of memories tainted by this series of crimes? I lived for half a century with Mr. Pelicot and I have no memory of the rapes, only the memory of happy days.
I cannot throw my whole life in the bin and tell myself that those years were nothing but a lie. If I did that, I’d collapse.”
At the end of the book, you announce your intention to visit Mr.Pelicot in prison. Why?
“I would like to do it for myself. That visit would be a stage in my reconstruction, an opportunity, for the first time since his arrest in November 2020, to confront him face to face.
How could he have done this to me? How could he have put our entire family through hell? What did he do to (our daughter) Caroline? He may not answer my questions, but I need to ask them.
For the moment, no date has been set for the visit. I do not think it will take place before the end of the year.”
In the book, you speak about your relationships with your three children. Where do they stand?
“It is wrong to think that such a tragedy brings a family together. It is impossible. Each of my children is now trying to rebuild as best they can.
Caroline’s suffering devastates me. She is in a state of anger that I do not share. And there is this doubt (about whether she was raped by her father) that condemns her to a perpetual hell.
I do not question her word, but I do not have the answers. Today, our relationship is calmer and I am happy about that. I will try to support her as best I can.”
Do you intend to remain a public figure?
“I am in my 74th year. I long for calm. I am not a radical feminist; I am a feminist in my own way. I know there is still a long way to go, despite progress on consent. I leave it to the younger generations to change this patriarchal society.
We can pass all the laws we want, but if we do not change mindsets, we will not succeed. That therefore begins above all with the education of our children. Parents must get involved.”
You are about to begin a tour to present your book. With what message?
“A message of hope. After hardship, you can once again allow yourself happiness and be happy. That is what I am doing. I am lucky enough to love again — it is magnificent. I think a life without love is a life without sunshine.”
