SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: January 12, 2026

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Indonesia (UI)

Region & Country:Southeastern Asia | Indonesia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On January 12, 2026, members of the Student Executive Board (BEM) at the University of Indonesia (UI) reported receiving anonymous threats of violence, including doxxing and the delivery of mysterious packages.

BEM has historically published positions on national issues such as governance, democracy, and civil liberties, establishing it as a core institution for student advocacy at UI. In anticipation of the 2026 UI General Election to select new BEM leadership, students shared posts online discussing their perception of increased involvement of politicians and government officials in BEM UI activities.

The day after the election closed, several student officers reported receiving both cyber and physical threats related to the election process and outcome. These included death threats via WhatsApp, harassment by unidentified armed motorcyclists, and packages containing intimidating objects such as funeral shrouds, wheelchairs, knives, scissors, and gardening tools. Students also experienced doxxing on social media, where unidentified accounts leaked sensitive personal data, including full names, National Identification Numbers (NIK), dates of birth, gender, addresses, and religious affiliations. Several students reported that their WhatsApp accounts had been hacked.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the intimidation and harassment, including threats of violence, of students for exercising their freedom of expression – conduct which is protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Members of the public must refrain from actions that chill or restrict such conduct, regardless of political or ideological differences. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, intimidation and harassment in response to peaceful expressive activity undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.amnesty.id/kabar-terbaru/siaran-pers/ungkap-pelaku-teror-ke-aktivis-bem-ui/01/2026/
https://heidoh.com/news/amnesty-warns-intimidation-of-university-of-indonesia-students-threatens-academic-freedom-and-free-speech
https://www.indoleft.org/news/2026-02-06/accompanied-by-lbh-ui-students-officially-report-threats-and-doxing-to-police.html