Responding to the wave of persecution and violence against the transgender community in Bogor city, West Java, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid stated:
"What happened in Bogor is not just a criminal act, but also a crime of persecution. Pursuing, beating, humiliating, and violently attacking a group of people simply because of their expression of gender and identity is a serious violation of human rights.
It can be said that this criminal act represents an implication of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 111/2025 which includes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) as a non-military threat. Pursuing a group of people based on their identity is persecution. It is a serious violation of human rights.
We urge the Bogor mayor to take protective measures in Bogor city, including preventing similar acts from recurring. We also urge the police to arrest the perpetrators and ensure the legal process is carried out through to trial. The state must not succumb to acts of thuggery. The police must act immediately and arrest the perpetrators. The state must be present to protect the transgender community in Bogor city and elsewhere where they experience persecution and attacks.
Under international law, persecution is a crime against humanity. Article 7, paragraph 1 h of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Rome Statute defines persecution as the deliberate and systematic deprivation of fundamental rights directed against a particular group on the basis of identity. This crime is also included in Law Number 26/2000 on Human Rights Courts. The state has an obligation to prevent this and punish the perpetrators.
We have received reports that at least 10 transgender women have been victims of persecution and pursuit accompanied by violence in Bogor city in at least three separate incidents over the past two months, one of which occurred in the Bubulak sub-district. These acts were carried out by a group of 10 to 20 people who recorded and broadcast their actions on social media.
Many of the transgender women who were victims of persecution and pursuit suffered assault and injuries and some were targeted with urine and bottles thrown by the perpetrators. The victims were also forced to undress, which was then torn up by the perpetrators. A group of people also conducted raids, stopped public transportation and searched for transgender women in Bogor city.
Amnesty also received information that in addition to the right to live in safety, this persecution also violates the economic, social and cultural rights of the transgender women in Bogor city who have been victims of attacks. Transwomen have long been economically marginalised in Indonesia. It is difficult for them to find employment in the formal sector simply because of their appearance or gender identity.
As a result many transwomen are forced to work in the informal sector where they have no protection whatsoever such as in salons, busking and commercial sex work. The recent surge in persecution in Bogor city has left many transgender women who were victims traumatised and afraid to earn a living. Some victims have even considered leaving their jobs due to the persecution.
Pursuit, assaults, harassment and torture are cruel, inhumane and degrading acts. Transwomen are citizens whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and laws, just like any other citizen."
Persecution and discrimination such as this is prohibited by law and cannot be tolerated. Therefore, the National Police Chief must order his officers to immediately arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the persecution and persecution of transgender women in Bogor. The government must also ensure that all citizens, regardless of gender identity and sexuality, are protected and their rights guaranteed.
Background
According to information obtained by Amnesty International, there have been at least three cases of attacks against transgender women in Bogor in the past two months. These attacks have prevented some victims from reporting the persecution and inhumane treatment they experienced to the police. These crimes peaked following widespread news coverage of Presidential Regulation Number 111/2025 which includes LGBTQ as a non-military threat.
Amnesty's monitoring found that since early 2026, there has been an increase in attacks against people of diverse genders and sexualities, peaking after widespread news coverage of Perpres Number 11/2025. A group of mostly young people in Bogor city used this momentum recently to target transgender women through persecution and harassment, accompanied by acts of violence. Hate attacks in the form of threats on social media also increased following news coverage of the Perpres.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Usut Tuntas Kejahatan Persekusi terhadap Transpuan di Kota Bogor".]
