Syahrul Yunizar – Amnesty International's latest report has revealed findings related to a coordinated disinformation campaign. The aim of the campaign is to label government critics as foreign agents. The targets range from vocal activists to journalists.
In an official statement released on Tuesday May 19, Amnesty International stated that the disinformation campaign not only silences dissent but also fuels intimidation and violence against government critics.
The report, titled Building up Imaginary Enemies, reveals a growing pattern of online disinformation aimed at attacking journalists, activists, academics and protesters. The disinformation campaign is also said to have been allowed to happen by tech giants like Meta, TikTok, X and YouTube.
"This Amnesty research shows that in the 18 months since Prabowo [Subianto] came to power (as Indonesian president), online disinformation has emerged as a key tactic to systematically discredit government critics, shut down public debate, and justify repression", said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard in an official statement.
According to Callamard, social media companies have stood by and allowed this to happen. She stated that disinformation has become a political weapon deployed to consolidate government power when public criticism intensifies.
"At the same time it scapegoats and weakens those who dare to speak out. By branding protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders as foreign stooges, Indonesian authorities and their supporters are deliberately distracting and ignoring the legitimate grievances of the people", she explained.
In the same statement, Amnesty International stated that since Prabowo became president, there have been several waves of demonstrations in Indonesia, including protests against corruption, budget cuts, environmental destruction and the expansion of powers granted to the military.
Amnesty International noted that Prabowo and senior officials responded by repeatedly and publicly accusing critics of being paid, manipulated and controlled by foreign interests. They also labelled dissent as orchestrated.
"This was followed by the widespread use of the foreign-sponsored narrative against civil society actors online. This narrative is often based on baseless claims that they seek to undermine or divide Indonesia simply because they receive foreign funding or other assistance from abroad", wrote Amnesty International in the statement.
- Amnesty International Indonesia's press release in Bahasa can be read here: https://www.amnesty.id/kabar-terbaru/siaran-pers/militer-indonesia-membungkam-perbedaan-pendapat-dengan-kampanye-disinformasi-yang-mencap-aktivis-dan-jurnalis-sebagai-antek-asing/05/2026/
- Amnesty International's report in English can be read here (PDF): https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa21/0931/2026/id/
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Amnesty International Ungkap Temuan Kampanye Disinformasi untuk Serang Aktivis dan Jurnalis Sebagai Antek Asing".]
