20 Missing, 6 Dead in Indonesia’s Worsening Protests

At least six people have died, and twenty remain missing after violent demonstrations erupted in Indonesia over lawmakers’ excessive benefits.  Anger directed at police officers is also rising following the protests that began last week.

Human rights organization KontraS stated that there were 23 people reported missing, of which 20 were still unaccounted for in Jakarta, Bandung, and Depok. Police said there were more than 1,200 people that they had arrested since August 25.

Tensions everyone were heightened after a video depicting police killing a young delivery driver surfaced. The UN urged Indonesia to investigate the allegations of excessive force employed against the protesters.

The unrest, the largest since President Prabowo Subianto took over in 2024, forced him to withdraw his controversial benefits from lawmakers. Reports showed unrest nationwide with protesters using molotov cocktails, and police responding with tear gas and water cannons.

In an effort to cool the tensions, TikTok, which has over 100 million users in Indonesia has suspended its live-streaming function.