Govt Urges Restraint as Investigation into Deadly Post-Protest Unrest Continues

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, on Sunday, August 30, 2026, urged the public to remain calm and refrain from drawing one-sided conclusions about a recent deadly incident of unrest in Jakarta. The unrest, following a demonstration outside Indonesia’s Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, August 27, 2026, claimed the life of Bambang Setiawan, 59, a resident of Central Jakarta, and left a high school student as the assault victim.

"Polda Metro Jaya (Greater Jakarta police) is currently investigating the case. No conclusions can yet be drawn as to who the perpetrators were or who was responsible for the two incidents," Yusril said in a statement to reporters in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by the ministry’s website.

The Minister added that authorities are still examining the sequence of events to establish what happened in full. This will enable them to identify those who carried out, ordered, or instigated the acts of violence.

"Those who are proven by evidence to be responsible will, of course, face firm law enforcement measures," he said.

Yusril expressed hope that the investigation by law enforcement authorities would soon identify those responsible for the assault. He stressed that authorities had not yet concluded that any particular individual, community group, or civil society organization was involved, in response to allegations circulating on Indonesian social media.

"Therefore, I urge the public not to be easily provoked by unverified information," Yusril said.

"I call on all elements of society to remain calm. I thank and appreciate the protesters who came from Pati, Central Java, and other areas, as well as the university students who demonstrated peacefully," he added.

He explained that the incident in which Bambang was assaulted and subsequently died, as well as the assault against the high school student, occurred after the protesters had left the complex area and amid clashes between groups of residents nearby. For that reason, Yusril urged the public not to use the incidents to justify retaliatory actions or further acts of violence.

"Let us not allow the incident currently under investigation to trigger further unrest or violence. Let us leave the process to law enforcement authorities and work together to maintain calm and public order," Yusril said.