Indonesian women join Jakarta protests with brooms

Hundreds of women dressed in pink joined protests in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday against lawmakers’ perks and police brutality, brandishing brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, while the president flew to China for a military parade.

The women carried signs with slogans such as “reform the police” and “your sweet promises cause diabetes,” as well as the brooms which protest organiser The Alliance of Indonesian Women said symbolised a need to “sweep the state’s dirt ... and the repressiveness of security forces.”

The protests that began in Jakarta last week have rocked the world’s third-largest democracy, with the demonstrations escalating nationwide after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.

Rights groups say 10 people have died in the protests, which have also sparked some looting and rioting.

The Alliance, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, had called off a planned protest on Monday citing the risk of a violent response by authorities.

“We want to show that protests are mostly peaceful,” said 30-year-old Rizky Ananda, who was demonstrating against violence against people, and women in particular, as well as wasteful government spending.

“If the government said protests were treasonous, it should be questionable.” President Prabowo Subianto has said the military and police would stand firm against violence, and said on Sunday that some of the unrest bore the signs of terrorism and treason. Prabowo was making a trip to China to attend a lavish military parade on Wednesday after initially cancelling due to the unrest, with his office saying that signs of normalcy returning in Indonesia were a factor in his decision to travel.

The National Commission on Human Rights was conducting an investigation into security forces’ handling of the protests, commissioner Anis Hidayah told journalists on Tuesday.

The United Nations’ rights office called on Monday for investigations into “all alleged violations of international human rights law, including with respect to use of force”.

The deaths were reported in the jurisdictions of Greater Jakarta, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Central Java, and Papua, she said.

Komnas HAM reported that more than 900 people were injured and thousands detained, although most of them have since been released.

“Many other locations have not reported (any) findings; there is a possibility the figures will rise,” Anis said.

AFP previously verified at least six deaths related to the protests since last week.

Agence France-Presse