Affan Kurniawan was killed after an armoured police car bumped into him throughout an indication within the capital.
Revealed On 29 Aug 2025
Protests have resumed in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, after the loss of life of a motorbike taxi driver hit by a police car throughout an indication over a variety of cost-of-living points.
Affan Kurniawan was killed on Thursday after an armoured police car bumped into him exterior Indonesia’s Home of Representatives, as riot police had been dispersing crowds who had gathered to demand larger wages, decrease taxes and the elimination of allowances for politicians.
Bike taxi drivers gathered exterior Jakarta Cell Brigade Corps headquarters on Friday to protest in opposition to Kurniawan’s loss of life, and college students urged protesters to rally later exterior police headquarters within the capital metropolis.
President Prabowo Subianto referred to as for calm, expressed condolences for the loss of life of Kurniawan, and ordered a radical probe of the incident.
“I’m shocked and disenchanted by the extreme actions of the officers,” Prabowo mentioned in a video message, including, “I’ve ordered a radical and clear investigation … and officers concerned have to be held accountable.”
Police hearth tear fuel
As Thursday’s protest persevered into the evening, native media reported that riot police fired tear fuel and used water cannon to disperse folks.
The capital’s police chief, Asep Edi Suheri, mentioned that through the clashes, an armoured police car hit and killed Kurniawan, who labored for ride-sharing providers Gojek and Seize.
The motive force’s household and a motorbike drivers’ affiliation mentioned Kurniawan was not concerned within the protests.
“As police chief and on behalf of your entire unit, I want to categorical my deepest apologies and condolences,” he mentioned in a information convention late on Thursday.
Tens of hundreds of individuals, together with many college students and staff, have taken to the streets in Jakarta and different cities this week to show in opposition to a brand new month-to-month housing allowance for politicians price 20 instances greater than the minimal wage in some elements of the nation.
The demonstrators are additionally protesting in opposition to low wages, authorities funding cutbacks and job cuts within the textile business.
Abigail Limura, cofounder of the social media platform What Is Up, Indonesia?, advised Al Jazeera that the protests are a “end result of months of not solely financial but in addition political frustration all around the nation”.
“We’re in the midst of a worsening economic system, collapsing job market, the place hundreds have been laid off. And as a substitute of compassion, these individuals are regularly met with indifference and even typically tone-deaf and insulting responses,” she mentioned.
Usman Hamid, government director of Amnesty Worldwide Indonesia, mentioned protesters had been additionally offended in regards to the long-running difficulty of police brutality and the heavy-handed response by police this week to demonstrations.
“The case of the bike taxi driver is only one of so many instances of extreme use of drive by police. There are too many instances throughout Indonesia, together with West Papua,” he advised Al Jazeera. “We’re continually receiving credible reviews comparable to use of firearms, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and in addition extrajudicial killing.”
Main protests have been staged exterior of Jakarta’s police headquarters and legislature, whereas The Jakarta Put up reported that protesters have additionally vandalised public amenities and lit a number of vehicles on hearth.
