Sabrina Mutiara Fitri, Ihsanuddin, Semarang – Exactly 18 years since the first Kamisan (Thursday) action was held, dozens of activists have again taken to the streets to fight for justice for victims of human rights violations.
The action, which that took place in front of the Central Java Regional Police (Polda) headquarters in the provincial capital of Semarang on Thursday January 16, was marked by the demonstrators wearing all-black clothing and caring posters with protest messages.
Some of the posters read, "18 Years of Kamisan Actions, We're Tired of Violence", "No Justice, No Peace, Fuck the Police" and "November 24, 2024, Gamma Killed by Police".
Semarang Kamisan action coordinator Abdul Munif said that the past 18 years have been an important moment of reflection, considering the increasing number of cases of human rights violations involving state officials.
"No matter how much power we have, the brutality of the authorities is greater and more frequent. This makes us continuously reflect on what we can do to eliminate the culture of violence that is committed by the security forces", said Munif.
Munif gave examples of several recent cases such as the police shooting of Semarang SMKN 4 State Vocational High School student Gamma R. Oktafandy on November 24, Mijen resident Darso who was allegedly arrested and tortured to death by police on September 21, and the murder of 13-year-old Afif Maulana who died in Padang, West Sumatra on June 9, allegedly due to police mistreatment.
According to Munif, this culture of violence seems to be maintained by the state, as expressed by renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib who was assassinated in 2004.
Even though the struggle feels tough, Munif remains optimistic that the Kamsian action movement, which is widely supported by young people, can bring about change.
"With that optimism, we will always have the power and energy to build Kamisan actions and community consolidation. Until Gamma obtains justice, until we can build police reform", asserted Munif.
Lidwina, one of the participants in the Kamisan action, said that these actions are very meaningful, especially for people who were victims of human rights violations, such as mothers in places such as Wadas, Kendeng and Pundenrejo.
"The brutality of the security forces will affect people's trust, especially female workers. I see them pressured psychologically, but that actually makes them rebel more", said Lidwina.
Lidwina hopes that the struggle of the Kamisan actions can be heard by the state and cases of human rights violations can be resolved.
"It's sad, because for 18 years we have struggled continuously, of course we're tired. But hopefully these Kamisan actions will not take decades. If it is decades, human rights violations will not be resolved. So hopefully it will not be for the rest of our lives", she concluded.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Refleksi 18 Tahun Aksi Kamisan di Semarang, Menolak Lupa Brutalitas Aparat".]
