JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Amnesty International Indonesia urged police to remove restrictions on a student and civil society demonstration at Jakarta’s Bundaran Hotel Indonesia on Wednesday, Oct. 18, arguing that the authorities must protect peaceful assembly rather than prevent it.

The appeal coincided with Youth Pledge Day and followed an earlier police position that demonstrations should not take place at the prominent Central Jakarta roundabout. Despite the dispute, protesters gathered at the site on Wednesday afternoon under the #IndonesiaSadar banner.

Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said Bundaran HI was a public space where people should be able to express their views peacefully.

“The ban lacks legality, necessity, proportionality and accountability,” Usman said. “Let people express their aspirations peacefully.”

In an official statement, Amnesty argued that police should provide a safe environment for participants instead of adopting a repressive approach or making arbitrary arrests.

Police had previously said the Bundaran HI area was connected to nationally vital facilities. The area also serves as a major transportation and economic corridor. Officers cited public-order obligations under Law No. 9/1998. They proposed alternative demonstration sites near the House of Representatives complex and Monas.

However, a National Police traffic notice issued on Wednesday acknowledged that a demonstration would take place at Bundaran HI. Police said they would apply situational traffic management according to developments on the ground.

Indonesia’s Constitution protects freedom of association, assembly and expression under Article 28E. Law No. 9/1998 also safeguards public expression while requiring participants to respect public order and the rights of others. The present dispute therefore concerns whether restricting access to Bundaran HI meets the legal tests of necessity and proportionality.

Students and civil society participants arrived in the afternoon and displayed banners criticizing the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration. Several messages focused on Indonesia’s forest and land fires (karhutla).

One banner read, “All Eyes on Forest and Land Fires — Prabowo Must Take Responsibility.” Other participants called on the government to declare the fires a national disaster and criticized deforestation policies.

These statements represented the protesters’ demands and political opinions. Any declaration of a national disaster would require a separate government assessment based on the scale of the emergency, its effects and the resources needed to address it.

Usman also defended the protest’s three-finger salute as legitimate political expression. “It is not a slogan inciting hostility, discrimination or violence,” he said.

Security personnel from the police and military monitored the demonstration. Traffic initially continued around the roundabout, but officers later redirected vehicles from several approaches as the crowd expanded.

But despite previous disagreement over the location, the demonstration went ahead anyway. The episode highlighted the authorities’ responsibility to reconcile traffic management and public safety with the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.