The Disharmony Between Police Discretion And The Right To Demonstrate: A Socio-Legal Deconstruction And Humanitarian Critique
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28918/Abstract
The systemic tension between the police’s discretionary power (freies ermessen) and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly remains a persistent democratic challenge to human rights and the consolidation of the rule of law in Indonesia. This study analyses the criminal law and human rights implications of the dynamic conflict between police discretion and the right to demonstrate during the massive public protests of August–September 2025. Adopting an empirical legal research design with a socio-legal approach, this research qualitatively analyses policy documents and human rights monitoring reports through the theoretical frameworks of Police Accountability and the Public Trust Doctrine. The study reveals that the exercise of police discretion during the protests was severely compromised by the systematic ‘excessive use of force’, the excessive deployment of tear gas in violation of international protocols, and arbitrary detentions, driven by a lack of independent external oversight and structural bias. Unchecked administrative discretion erodes democratic legitimacy and violates the state’s fiduciary duty. This study recommends establishing an independent police oversight commission with binding enforcement powers and the strict legislative codification of proportionality standards
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