TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Riots that broke out during the nationwide protests last August were escalated after incidents of police brutality, revealed Ravio Patra, a researcher from the Fact-Finding Commission (KPF).
"If asked what caused the violence, riots, looting, and destruction, it was the brutal actions of police officers that led to the death of a citizen," said Ravio at the Indonesia Corruption Watch office in Jakarta on Friday, February 18, 2026.
Affan Kurniawan's Death Sparked Nationwide Protests
He was referring to the death of an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver, Affan Kurniawan. The young man was killed after being run over by a police mobile brigade (Brimob) tactical vehicle in the Bendungan Hilir area in Jakarta on August 28, 2025.
Eyewitness accounts gathered by the commission revealed that the police car stopped for about seven seconds at 7:28 p.m. Jakarta time. Residents immediately surrounded the vehicle and asked it to stop, but the police accelerated the vehicle and ran over Affan.
"That was when Affan vomited blood and was taken to the Pelni Hospital, but due to traffic, he was diverted to the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital," he said.
"Affan arrived unconscious, but his pulse was still present," he added. The young man was declared dead at 7:58 p.m.
This chronology of the incident led the commission to conclude Affan's death was a murder.
Affan's death sparked protests in dozens of cities—49 on the day after his death, August 29, 2025, doubling the number of demonstrations in the previous day.
It continued to escalate until protests broke out in 76 cities by August 30, with some turning violent. For instance, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, 4 people died and 5 were injured after being trapped in a burning regional house of representatives building.
However, according to Ravio, in the first three days, the demonstrations were relatively peaceful without any friction between the protesters and the authorities. Affan's murder by the police, he said, gave other citizens a reason to take to the streets.
"Ojol drivers joined the protests, they were everywhere. Ordinary citizens who previously had no reason to demonstrate joined in because they were angry. Students who used to just follow along now have a reason," said Ravio.
'The Riots Were Preventable'
The state could have prevented the August 2025 protests from escalating in such a way, if not for the lack of a decisive and swift response against the death of a citizen due to police brutality.
"Our data shows that the riots were triggered by Affan's murder. So, it was not because of posts on social media, not because of posters, or complaint posts for demonstrators who were facing legal harassment," said Ravio.
The Fact-Finding Commission started to compile the data for "The Largest Suppression Operation of Youth Since Reformation" (Operasi Pembungkaman Kaum Muda Terbesar Sejak Reformasi) report in September and released it on February 18, 2026. The report contains the facts behind the August 2025 demonstrations, the escalation of riots and looting, as well as the hunt for activists.
Eleven researchers working on this report include Andrie Yunus, Arif Maulana, Aqwam Fiazmi Hanifan, Fadilah Rahmatan Al Kafi, Khaerul Anwar, M. Islah Satrio, M. Yahya Ihyaroza, Nurkholis Hidayat, Ravio Patra, Rizaldi Ageng Wicaksono, and Vebrina Monicha.
In compiling this report, the commission conducted independent investigations into 115 police examination files, thousands of open-source data, and 63 informants. Additionally, event traces were traced in eight provinces, 18 cities, and three locations abroad from September 2025 to February 2026.
Information gathered from these interviews sought the role of actors before, during, and after the demonstration. Triangulation of secondary data was also conducted by the Fact-Finding Commission. This secondary data was used to analyze mass media coverage, interviews with eyewitnesses, and field observations.
Read: Mass Arrests in August 2025 Unrest Dubbed 'Biggest Manhunt'
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
