On November 10, 2025, the University of August 17, 1945 (UTA 45) suspended Damar Setyaji Pamungkas, a management student at the Faculty of Economics, Business, and Social Sciences (FEBIS), in connection to a discussion regarding the controversial designation of former President Suharto as a national hero.
Pamungkas, the Chair of the Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMID), had organized a discussion titled: “Suharto is Not a Hero: Challenging Fadli Zon and the 1,000 Political Sins of Suharto.” The event was timed to coincide with President Prabowo Subianto’s formal decision to award Suharto the title of national hero.
Prior to the event, the Dean summoned Pamungkas and ordered him to cancel the discussion, labeling it “practical politics.” Pamungkas asserted that analyzing Suharto’s political history was an exercise in “moral and intellectual responsibility” and maintained that the discussion aimed to encourage critical thinking and to “reinterpret Heroes’ Day from the perspective of the people,” making it a protected academic activity.
The university ultimately canceled the event by deploying security personnel to lock down the cafeteria and posting banners that read: “Practical Politics Prohibited on UTA ’45 Jakarta Grounds. Those Involved Will Face Suspension/Expulsion.”
Later that afternoon, the Dean suspended Pamungkas for the remainder of the 2025–26 academic year for “failing to comply” with directives to avoid non-academic activities and of “mobilizing the masses” for practical political activities on campus. The suspension appeared to bypass the university’s Academic Guidelines, which specify that “practical political activities” should first result in warnings or letters of reprimand rather than immediate suspension. The suspension barred Pamungkas from lectures, student organizations, and any activity associated with the university name.
On November 12, 2025, Pamungkas submitted a formal request for an audience with the Rector to clarify the legal basis for his suspension. The request went unanswered.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the suspension of a student without due process for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression—conduct which is expressly protected under international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Higher education authorities have an obligation to ensure due process, transparency, and fairness when engaging in disciplinary action. University officials should adhere in principle and practice to established policies for disciplinary violations; policies which are designed to guard against bias, ideological interference, or other improper motives. Failure to strictly adhere to such policies directly undermines academic freedom and undermines democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.tempo.co/politik/tanggapan-kika-soal-mahasiwa-diskors-karena-menolak-soeharto-jadi-pahlawan-2090150
https://en.tempo.co/read/2066132/indonesian-student-suspended-for-organizing-soeharto-is-no-hero-campus-discussion
https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/c231dee9z79o