Paradoks Demokrasi dan Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) di Indonesia: Represi Negara dalam Penanganan Demonstrasi Agustus 2025

Abstract

The demonstrations held from August 25 to 31, 2025, in Indonesia highlight a serious paradox in democracy: a country that has ratified international human rights instruments has, in fact, resorted to repressive practices when faced with mass mobilization. This phenomenon is crucial because it reveals the gap between normative commitments to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the reality of violence, information restrictions, and criminalization on the ground. This issue is significant within the broader framework of human rights theory as it underscores the relevance of studies on state responsibility, the spiral model of norm diffusion, and state repression theory, which seek to explain why democratic states continue to maintain repressive practices. This study aims to analyze patterns of human rights violations during the August 2025 demonstrations, focusing on physical violence, media restrictions, and arbitrary arrests. The methodology employed is a qualitative case study approach using media content analysis based on national media sources, verified through the framework of international human rights law to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the analysis. The findings reveal a multi-layered strategy of repression: loss of life due to excessive use of force, restrictions on public discourse through official statements and digital controls, and thousands of mass arrests with procedural flaws. These findings underscore the gap between the state’s rhetoric of compliance and its repressive practices. This study concludes that Indonesian democracy remains confronted with a structural tension between formal commitments to human rights and repressive domestic practices. Recommendations focus on reforming public security governance, strengthening accountability mechanisms, protecting independent journalism, and ensuring civil liberties as prerequisites for substantive democracy.

Demonstrasi 25 - 31 Agustus 2025 di Indonesia menyoroti paradoks serius dalam demokrasi: negara yang telah meratifikasi instrumen HAM internasional justru menampilkan praktik represif ketika menghadapi mobilisasi massa. Fenomena ini krusial karena menyingkap kesenjangan antara komitmen normatif terhadap International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) dan realitas kekerasan, pembatasan informasi, serta kriminalisasi hukum di lapangan. Isu ini penting dalam peta besar teori HAM karena menegaskan relevansi kajian tentang state responsibility, spiral model of norm diffusion, serta state repression theory yang berupaya menjelaskan mengapa negara demokratis tetap mempertahankan praktik represif. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pola pelanggaran HAM dalam demonstrasi Agustus 2025, dengan fokus pada kekerasan fisik, pembatasan media, dan penangkapan sewenang-wenang. Metode yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif studi kasus dengan media content analysis berbasis media nasional, yang diverifikasi melalui kerangka hukum HAM internasional untuk memastikan akurasi dan relevansi analisis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya strategi represi berlapis: korban jiwa akibat penggunaan kekuatan berlebihan, pembatasan narasi publik melalui edaran resmi dan kontrol digital, serta ribuan penangkapan massal yang bermasalah secara prosedural. Temuan ini menguatkan adanya gap antara retorika kepatuhan dan praktik represif negara. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa demokrasi Indonesia masih dihadapkan pada ketegangan struktural antara komitmen formal terhadap HAM dan praktik domestik yang represif. Rekomendasi diarahkan pada reformasi tata kelola keamanan publik, penguatan mekanisme akuntabilitas, perlindungan jurnalisme independen, serta penjaminan kebebasan sipil sebagai prasyarat demokrasi substantif.