Protesters clash with police after Indonesian president’s reelection, leaving 8 dead

Eight people were reported killed and hundreds injured Wednesday in violent protests over
the reelection of President Joko Widodo, prompting authorities to restrict access to social
media. Jakarta’s governor, Anies Baswedan, said he received information that eight people
died in the clashes, which were orchestrated by supporters of the losing candidate in April’s
election, Prabowo Subianto, after the official results were announced. Indonesian police
acknowledged fatalities and said they heard hospital reports of the eight deaths, but they
declined to confirm that number. Police said they were not responsible for the deaths.

“There’s no way the state apparatus would kill the perpetrators,” said Indonesia’s security
minister, Wiranto. Authorities said police were forbidden to use live ammunition against
demonstrators.Police, however, used tear gas in central Jakarta amid scuffles between
protesters and security forces. On Wednesday afternoon, Indonesia’s communication
minister, Rudiantara, said access to social media would be restricted with immediate effect.
The move made Indonesia the latest country to curb social media platforms after chaos and
violence.

Security tightens as Jakarta braces for more mass protest after official results confirmed
President Joko Widodo's re-election on May 21. (Reuters) “The limitations will be placed on
the spreading of download and uploads photos and videos,” Rudiantara said. “Again, it’s
temporary and in stages.”The restrictions appeared to apply primarily to the sharing of
videos and photos over social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp.

With early results predicting a clear win for Widodo, his challenger alleged foul play in the
voting despite a widespread consensus that the election had been largely well-run. On
Tuesday, Prabowo continued to challenge the vote and vowed to take his case to the
Constitutional Court. His supporters gathered Tuesday morning near the election
supervisory agency in central Jakarta, where tensions have been running high since the
election. Muslims are marking the holy month of Ramadan. After breaking their fast and
attending evening prayers, more demonstrators appeared. Police said these protesters
were violent, unlike earlier ones, and broke through security barriers protecting the
election agency, throwing rocks and torching cars. Some threw molotov cocktails at a police
dormitory, authorities said.

Videos from Tuesday evening showed rioters throwing fireworks and pelting police with
rocks. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons.“They were very brutal,” said
Muhammad Iqbal, a spokesman for the Indonesian police. The protests were “by design,” he
said, and “not spontaneous.” Local media reported hundreds of injuries and several
fatalities, but Iqbal said police had yet to confirm a death toll. More than 40,000 police and
army personnel were on duty to keep order in the city. Dedi Prasetyo, another spokesman
for the national police, said more than 62 protesters were arrested. Among them were three
people carrying guns on Tuesday who admitted they planned to use the firearms in
demonstrations the next day, he said.Indonesian riot police block protesters in the capital,
Jakarta, on May 22.
Police also said rioters had smuggled rocks and fireworks into central Jakarta via
ambulance overnight. Some demonstrators were caught with envelopes stuffed with cash,
presumably to pay others to join them, police said. Authorities have characterized the
demonstrations as orchestrated. The protests were organized by hard-line Islamic groups
that have called for Prabowo’s supporters to come out in force to show their dissatisfaction
with the results. The retired general had stoked nationalist and religious sentiment ahead
of the vote, portraying himself as the only person capable of defending Islam in the
majority-Muslim country.

In recent days, police have arrested three pro-Prabowo activists on suspicions of treason,
the Associated Press reported. Among them was a retired general and former commander
of Indonesia’s special forces. Speaking Wednesday at a news conference — at the same time
as the president — Prabowo seemed to imply that it was the police who had started the
chaos.“We plead with the [state apparatus] not to hurt the people’s hearts, especially not to
hit and shoot them,” he said. “If this happens again, we’re very worried that the tapestry of
our nation will be broken and hard to fix.”

Terjemahan :

Para pengunjuk rasa bentrok dengan polisi setelah pemilihan kembali presiden Indonesia,
menewaskan 8 orang

Delapan orang dilaporkan tewas dan ratusan lainnya cedera pada Rabu dalam protes keras
terkait pemilihan kembali Presiden Joko Widodo, yang mendorong pihak berwenang membatasi
akses ke media sosial. Gubernur Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, mengatakan ia menerima informasi
bahwa delapan orang tewas dalam bentrokan itu, yang diatur oleh para pendukung kandidat
yang kalah dalam pemilihan April, Prabowo Subianto, setelah hasil resmi diumumkan. Polisi
Indonesia mengakui kematian dan mengatakan mereka mendengar laporan rumah sakit dari
delapan kematian, tetapi mereka menolak untuk mengkonfirmasi jumlah itu. Polisi mengatakan
mereka tidak bertanggung jawab atas kematian tersebut.

"Tidak mungkin aparat negara akan membunuh para pelaku," kata menteri keamanan
Indonesia, Wiranto. Pihak berwenang mengatakan polisi dilarang menggunakan amunisi hidup
terhadap demonstran. Namun, polisi menggunakan gas air mata di Jakarta Pusat di tengah
bentrokan antara demonstran dan pasukan keamanan. Pada Rabu sore, menteri komunikasi
Indonesia, Rudiantara, mengatakan akses ke media sosial akan segera dibatasi. Langkah ini
membuat Indonesia sebagai negara terbaru yang mengekang platform media sosial setelah
kekacauan dan kekerasan.

Keamanan semakin ketat ketika Jakarta bersiap-siap untuk protes massa lagi setelah hasil resmi
mengkonfirmasi terpilihnya kembali Presiden Joko Widodo pada 21 Mei. (Reuters)
"Keterbatasan akan ditempatkan pada penyebaran unduhan dan mengunggah foto dan video,"
kata Rudiantara. "Sekali lagi, ini bersifat sementara dan bertahap." Pembatasan tampaknya
berlaku terutama untuk berbagi video dan foto melalui platform media sosial seperti Instagram
dan WhatsApp.
Dengan hasil awal yang meramalkan kemenangan yang jelas bagi Widodo, penantangnya
menuduh bermain curang dalam pemungutan suara meskipun ada konsensus luas bahwa
pemilu sebagian besar telah berjalan dengan baik. Pada hari Selasa, Prabowo terus menantang
pemungutan suara dan berjanji untuk membawa kasusnya ke Mahkamah Konstitusi. Para
pendukungnya berkumpul Selasa pagi di dekat badan pengawas pemilu di Jakarta Pusat, tempat
ketegangan meningkat sejak pemilu. Muslim menandai bulan suci Ramadhan. Setelah berbuka
puasa dan menghadiri doa malam, lebih banyak demonstran muncul. Polisi mengatakan para
pemrotes ini keras, tidak seperti yang sebelumnya, dan menerobos hambatan keamanan yang
melindungi agen pemilu, melemparkan batu dan membakar mobil. Beberapa melemparkan
bom molotov di asrama polisi, kata pihak berwenang.

Video dari Selasa malam menunjukkan perusuh melemparkan kembang api dan melempari
polisi dengan batu. Polisi merespons dengan gas air mata dan meriam air. "Mereka sangat
brutal," kata Muhammad Iqbal, juru bicara kepolisian Indonesia. Protes itu "dengan desain,"
katanya, dan "tidak spontan." Media lokal melaporkan ratusan

cedera dan beberapa kematian, tetapi Iqbal mengatakan polisi belum mengkonfirmasi jumlah
korban tewas. Lebih dari 40.000 personil polisi dan tentara bertugas untuk menjaga ketertiban
di kota. Dedi Prasetyo, juru bicara polisi nasional lainnya, mengatakan lebih dari 62 pemrotes
ditangkap. Di antara mereka adalah tiga orang yang membawa senjata pada hari Selasa yang
mengakui bahwa mereka berencana untuk menggunakan senjata api dalam demonstrasi pada
hari berikutnya, katanya. Polisi anti huru hara Indonesia memblokir pengunjuk rasa di ibukota,
Jakarta, pada 22 Mei.

Polisi juga mengatakan perusuh telah menyelundupkan batu dan kembang api ke Jakarta Pusat
melalui ambulans semalam. Beberapa demonstran ditangkap dengan amplop berisi uang tunai,
mungkin untuk membayar orang lain untuk bergabung dengan mereka, kata polisi. Pihak
berwenang telah menandai demonstrasi sebagai diatur. Protes tersebut diorganisir oleh
kelompok garis keras Islam yang menyerukan agar pendukung Prabowo keluar untuk
menunjukkan ketidakpuasan mereka dengan hasilnya. Jenderal purnawirawan telah memicu
sentimen nasionalis dan agama menjelang pemungutan suara, menggambarkan dirinya sebagai
satu-satunya orang yang mampu mempertahankan Islam di negara mayoritas Muslim.

Dalam beberapa hari terakhir, polisi telah menangkap tiga aktivis pro-Prabowo atas tuduhan
pengkhianatan, Associated Press melaporkan. Di antara mereka adalah seorang pensiunan
jenderal dan mantan komandan pasukan khusus Indonesia. Berbicara pada konferensi pers
pada hari Rabu - pada saat yang sama dengan presiden - Prabowo tampaknya menyiratkan
bahwa polisi yang memulai kekacauan. “Kami memohon [aparat negara] untuk tidak menyakiti
hati rakyat, terutama untuk tidak memukul dan tembak mereka, ”katanya. "Jika ini terjadi lagi,
kami sangat khawatir permadani bangsa kita akan rusak dan sulit untuk diperbaiki."