September 30, 2025
JAKARTA – Arecent wave of book confiscations during police crackdowns on alleged “provocateurs” behind nationwide protests has been met with sharp criticism from rights groups, who say the practice undermines freedom of expression.
Following last month’s unrest over economic hardship and public frustration at officials’ perceived insensitivity, police across several provinces arrested dozens accused of inciting riots and vandalism. Alongside the detentions, officers also seized books, later presented as “evidence” of the suspects’ alleged violent activity.
One recent raid in Kediri, East Java, led to the confiscation of many books that the police claimed to showcase the suspects’ “anarchism”, including Pemikiran Karl Max (The Thoughts of Karl Marx) by Franz Magnis-Suseno, Kisah Para Diktator (The Dictators) by Jules Archer, Anarkisme (Anarchism) by Emma Goldman and Strategi Perang Gerilya (Guerilla Warfare) by Che Guevara.
“As evidence, we secured 11 books on anarchist ideology, 42 stones, 10 hoodie jackets, 18 cell phones, nine motorbikes, as well as stolen vests and shields,” East Java Police general crimes investigation director Sr. Comr. Widiatmoko said last week, as reported by Tempo.
West Java Police similarly confiscated works by Indonesian literary giant Pramoedya Ananta Toer, including Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations) and Percikan Revolusi Subuh (Sparks of Dawn Revolution), alongside Oscar Wilde’s Jiwa Manusia di Bawah Sosialisme (The Soul of Man Under Socialism).
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“All of these narratives are at the level of anarchism,” said West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Rudi Setiawan on Sept. 16 after naming 26 riot suspects, kompas.com reported.
The seizures have caused a widespread backlash online and among human rights groups, who have deemed the police’s attempt to justify a rioter’s actions by what they read as “misleading”.
“The police should arrest and charge people based on their actions. If an arson attack happens, it’s the action that matters, not the books that the person reads,” Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Andreas stressed that reading about Marxism or religion “does not [automatically] make people communists or religious believers.”
“The police should not charge people for ideas,” he added.
Albert Wirya, director of the Legal Aid Institute for Society (LBHM), called the confiscations “a suppression of free speech and expression” enabled by weak criminal procedure safeguards, as well as the police’s overarching authority.
He acknowledged that the police had the authority to confiscate evidence directly related to a criminal act, as stipulated in Article 39 of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). However, he said officers should also exercise caution in determining what items are genuinely relevant to a crime.
“In the cases we are seeing now, the relevance of the confiscated books to the alleged crimes is unclear,” Albert said, citing the Kediri case where Jules Archer’s The Dictators was confiscated from a high-school student.
The book, according to Albert, recounts the history of several world leaders with authoritarian tendencies, imprisoning opposition figures, committing genocide and rejecting criticism, as a warning to readers to prevent such abuses from recurring.
“Why did the police seize this book? Does this confiscation amount to an admission that the current regime is already dictatorial, so that books teaching people to oppose dictators are considered ‘dangerous’?” he said.
Not only does the book confiscation set a dangerous precedent for law enforcement in the country, but it also sends a chilling message to society, warning people to be careful what they read; a mindset that could further discourage reading, he went on.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi remarked on Sept. 19 that “reading any [particular] book is not against the law” but declined to comment further.
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Police have clarified that they do not oppose reading itself but argued that certain books could be linked to the recent riots.
“If that reading is put into practice, it means the learning process came from the book,” East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Nanang Avianto said on Sept. 18.
Albert of the LBHM questioned how police could determine that the books directly shaped the suspects’ worldview, disregarding real-life discussions or social media influence.
He suggested that if authorities insist on keeping the books as evidence, they should at least read them and demonstrate a direct connection to the alleged crimes.
“Perhaps this could even serve as a recommendation from President Prabowo Subianto‘s police reform team: encourage the police to read,” he added, referring to a commission the President is forming to tackle persistent police brutality and a culture of impunity.
The National Police’s Public Relations Division chief Insp. Gen. Sandi Nugroho did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comments.