Indonesian authorities, including the military, used online disinformation campaigns to brand activists and journalists as “foreign agents” and silence dissent, sometimes leading to physical threats, Amnesty International said in a report released on Tuesday.
Amnesty’s findings reflect growing concerns that Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy, is backsliding towards army rule under President Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander, who has expanded the military’s role in civilian affairs since taking office in 2024.
“In the 18 months since Prabowo took power, online disinformation has emerged as a key tactic to systematically discredit government critics, shut down public debate and justify repression,” Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a statement accompanying the release of the report, entitled “Building Up Imaginary Enemies”.
The rights group found that the disinformation campaigns were being driven by social media accounts that appeared to be affiliated to military units and to Prabowo’s Gerindra party.
Neither Prabowo’s office nor the military immediately responded to a request for comment.
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