January 16, 2026 | 03:17 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Aksi Kamisan has continued for 19 years. The demonstration, held weekly in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, reaches its 19th anniversary on January 18, 2026.
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, hundreds participated in Aksi Kamisan ahead of this milestone. As in previous weeks, they demanded that the state resolve serious human rights violations in Indonesia.
Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia and a regular participant, stated the movement will persist.
"Kamisan is a movement that has been going on for almost two decades, and we will never stop here," Usman said during his speech at the protest site on Thursday, January 15, 2026, as broadcast on the Jakartanicus YouTube account.
Usman urged demonstrators to strengthen their resolve in the struggle for justice. "We will continue to move forward, and we will continue to fight for justice," he said.
According to him, many cases of serious human rights violations in Indonesia remain unresolved. These include the massacres and persecution of the communist community during the 1965 Tragedy, as well as abductions and killings by authorities during the 1998 Reform era.
Usman highlighted injustices occurring under President Prabowo Subianto's administration. He pointed to existing problems, such as political prisoners used as scapegoats for the riots in August 2025.
Additionally, Usman mentioned the denial of past human rights violations by members of Prabowo's cabinet. He specifically criticized Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, who claimed no serious human rights violations or mass rapes occurred in 1998.
Usman also criticized conferring the title of hero upon former President Soeharto. He stated that Soeharto, Prabowo's former father-in-law, was a dictator who should not be considered a hero.
Therefore, Usman stated that as long as injustice remains in Indonesia, Aksi Kamisan will continue. "We will never stop fighting against injustice," said Usman.
Aksi Kamisan takes place every Thursday in front of the State Palace on Jalan Veteran, Central Jakarta. This community movement demands that the government resolve human rights cases. The action has been held regularly since January 18, 2007.
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