Jakarta, August 7, 2026
To:
Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia
Dr. (H.C.) Puan Maharani
DPR RI Building
Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto, Senayan, Tanah Abang,
Central Jakarta, DKI Jakarta
Respectfully,
Regarding: Request to reject the LGBTQ Prevention and Response Bill
Through this open letter, the Civil Society Coalition Advocating for Human Rights For All requests that the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) reject the Draft Law (RUU) on the Prevention and Response of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) and all other policies that have the potential to criminalise, discriminate against or stigmatise citizens solely based on personal identity.
We believe the proposed bill and various regulations have the potential to violate the human rights principles enshrined in the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as Indonesia's obligations under international law, which guarantee the protection of citizens from all forms of identity-based discrimination.
Based on quotes in the media, several DPR leaders, including the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Body (Baleg), Ahmad Doli Kurnia, have expressed their readiness to discuss various policy proposals related to the criminalisation of LGBT people in the legislative process. One of these is a policy to include LGBT prevention materials in the national school curriculum through deliberations on the National Education System Bill. This proposal is inextricably linked to Presidential Regulation Number 111/2025 on the General Policy of State Defence for 2025-2029, which includes the spread of LGBTQ culture as a non-military threat to the social and cultural dimensions.
On the other hand, we have observed an increase in violence and persecution against gender- and sexual-diverse groups in various regions, which is suspected to be related to regulations and regulatory plans currently being discussed by the government and the DPR. In Bogor regency, West Java, for example, dozens of civilians were victims of raids during community activities, which were accompanied by inhumane treatment. The Bogor regent has issued Circular Letter 100.3.4/532-DP3AP2KB on the prevention of LGBT.
The municipal governments of Makassar (South Sulawesi), Garut (West Java), Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Kutai Kartanegara regency (East Kalimantan) and Bandung (West Java) are also drafting anti-LGBT regional regulations that could potentially prohibit various forms of gathering and expression for gender- and sexual-diverse groups. In Pekanbaru (Riau) and Bogor, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers have increased raids targeting gender- and sexual-diverse groups, referring to Presidential Regulation Number 111/2025.
In Palu (Central Sulawesi), Depok (West Java), Cilegon (Banten), Malang (East Java), Bogor regency and Jakarta, hundreds of people from gender- and sexual-diverse groups have experienced various forms of verbal and physical violence, including mob violence, beatings, urine-drenched attacks and evictions from their homes. Meanwhile, the Coalition documented that at least ten state universities implemented discriminatory policies against students from diverse gender and sexuality groups in June 2026. One such policy was the University of Indonesia (UI) student press, which experienced intimidation and doxing after reporting on the rights of diverse gender and sexuality groups on campus.
We remind you that Article 28D paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia guarantees that everyone has the right to recognition, guarantees, protection and fair legal certainty. Article 28E paragraph (3) guarantees everyone's right to associate, assemble and express opinions. Article 28I paragraph (2) affirms that everyone has the right to be free from discriminatory treatment on any basis and has the right to receive protection against such discriminatory treatment.
These guarantees are affirmed in Article 3 of Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights, which requires the state to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of every person without discrimination. Indonesia has also ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) through Law Number 12/2005. The Covenant guarantees the rights to freedom of expression (Article 19), freedom of peaceful assembly (Article 21), freedom of association (Article 22) and equal protection before the law without discrimination (Article 26). Furthermore, Article 2 paragraph (1) and Article 26 of the ICCPR require the state to guarantee all rights in the Covenant without discrimination and to provide equal legal protection to everyone. Furthermore, Article 17 of the ICCPR prohibits arbitrary or unlawful interference with an individual's private life.
In addition to this, Law Number 3/2002 on National Defence explicitly stipulates that the implementation of national defence must be based on democracy, human rights, national law and international law. Therefore, Presidential Regulation Number 111/2025 cannot be used as a basis to restrict or criminalise any group based on their identity or personal characteristics.
As a representative body with a legislative function, the DPR RI is constitutionally obligated to ensure that every draft law aligns with the 1945 Constitution and Indonesia's human rights obligations under international law. The DPR RI is obligated to guarantee that no individual in this country experiences discrimination or systematic violence because of their lifestyle choices and identity.
Therefore, we urge the DPR RI to:
1. Reject any proposed draft law that is discriminatory and criminalises certain groups, including the proposed bill on the handling and prevention of LGBTQ issues currently being prepared by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in collaboration with several community organisations;
2. Not to include the proposal in the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) or the deliberation agenda of the DPR RI considering its objectives contradict the 1945 Constitution, Law Number 39/1999 and Indonesia's obligations under the ICCPR;
3. Ensure that all legislative and regulatory processes respect the principles of equality before the law, non-discrimination, meaningful public participation, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association as guaranteed by the Constitution and international human rights instruments ratified by Indonesia;
4. Use the DPR RI's oversight function to evaluate state policies that have the potential to encourage discrimination against gender- and sexual-diverse groups, including the implementation of Presidential Regulation Number 111/2025, which has fuelled increased stigma, discrimination and persecution against these groups.
Thus is our open letter. The Coalition is open to holding a public hearing if it is felt it necessary to further explain the series of violence triggered by discriminatory regulations at both the regional and national levels. We thank you for your attention.
With respect,
Civil Society Coalition of Human Rights Defenders for All
For further communication, please contact:
- The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus: Lini Zurlia, Advocacy Manager at lzurlia@aseansogiecaucus.org
- The Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI): Afif Abdul Qoyim at afif@ylbhi.or.id
- Amnesty International Indonesia: Michelle Dyonisius at michelle.dyonisius@amnesty.id
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Surat terbuka untuk Ketua DPR: Tolak RUU Penanggulangan dan Pencegahan LGBTQ".]
