Jakarta police name 49 suspects over parliament protest unrest

Jakarta police have named 49 suspects after detaining 322 people during unrest outside the parliament complex in Senayan on August 27.

Jakarta Metro Police spokesperson Budi Hermanto said 44 of the suspects are adults handled by the general crimes division. The remaining five are minors whose cases are being handled by units responsible for women, children and juvenile matters. Police released the other 273 detainees after questioning and checking investigative data.

The latest figure includes three people previously reported as allegedly carrying bladed weapons. Hermanto said they are part of the 49 suspects, rather than an additional group counted separately. Police had earlier said 45 people had been named suspects after clashes and alleged violence following the protest.

Investigators divided detainees into six groups based on alleged roles, evidence and witness accounts. One group included 153 people under 18, including two 12-year-olds, one 13-year-old, three 14-year-olds, 23 aged 15, 47 aged 16, 64 aged 17 and 10 people listed as 18. Three were girls, and 25 had left school.

A second group contained 91 adults categorized by police as ordinary rioters. A third included 71 people allegedly involved in damaging public facilities and assault, with 45 named as suspects at the time. Police also identified alleged instigators and financiers, along with people accused of recruiting others to create disorder. They have not publicly detailed the identities or specific alleged conduct in those final groups.