Indonesia
Civil groups said the timing of Bank Mandiri’s freezing of a protest coordinator’s account raised concerns that banking powers were being used to restrict citizens’ right to protest.
Two activists display a banner reading “Freedom of Expression = Rights“ during the verdict hearing for activists Delpedro Marhaen Rismansyah, Khariq Anhar, Muzaffar Salim and Syahdan Husein, who were standing trial in an alleged incitement case related to anti-government protests that ended in riots between August and September 2025, at the Central Jakarta District Court in Central Jakarta on March 6, 2026. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
Bank Mandiri’s freezing of a protest coordinator’s account has drawn strong criticism from civil society groups, which have warned the move restricts civic freedoms.The account belongs to Supriyono, coordinator of the United Pati Community Alliance (AMPB), a group which has organized residents from Pati, Central Java, to protest outside the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Aug. 27, where protesters are expected to demand the seizure of assets belonging to corruption convicts and the death penalty for corruption convicts.
The bank account contains around Rp 80.9 million (US$4,900) in personal funds and public donations intended to cover food, transportation and accommodation for protesters. Mandiri, the publicly listed state-run bank, has since apologized and attributed the freeze to a request from law enforcement authorities, but refrained from identifying the agency involved or providing details of the case or the legal basis for the request.
