We express our strong solidarity with the peoples of Indonesia and Nepal, who are courageously resisting repression, corruption, and policies that undermine their livelihoods, rights, and dignity.
Recently, both countries have seen massive and aggressive protests led by young people, farmers, workers, and rural communities. In Nepal, the government’s broad ban on social media sparked massive protests by Gen Z demanding free expression and an end to corruption, which were met with brutal violence by law enforcement. More than 20 people were killed, hundreds were injured, and many more were traumatized. Meanwhile, farmers across Nepal, particularly those in sugarcane and dairy production, have taken to the streets to protest cuts in subsidies, unpaid debts, and years of neglect that have driven many into deeper poverty.
Across Indonesia, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest rising living costs, unfair tax hikes, and widespread corruption, as well as the brutal suppression of dissent. Farmers, workers, students, and local communities have joined forces to challenge policies that benefit the wealthy while leaving the majority struggling to make ends meet. The government’s harsh crackdowns, mass arrests, and efforts to silence dissent show that it values repression over open dialogue and accountability.
Both countries are facing similar crises, rooted in the same issues: growing economic hardship, the decline of democratic and civic rights, and the failure of governments to hold themselves accountable to their people. Farmers are denied decent living, young people are denied a voice, and everyday communities are left to bear the weight of corruption, increasing costs, and oppressive measures.
Unrests are erupting in Indonesia and Nepal amid widespread hunger and poverty and worsening global economic, political, and planetary crises. In Indonesia, over 17 million people are still undernourished, with food insecurity reaching more than 50% in areas like Papua. In Nepal, a fifth of the population lives in poverty, a quarter of children under five are stunted, and more than 5 million people face food insecurity. These harsh realities reveal the gross failure of governments that neglect the interests of farmers, workers, young people, and other marginalized sectors, stoking up the anger now spreading through the streets.
We condemn the killings, violent dispersals, censorship, and systemic neglect that have inflamed these uprisings. We join the voices of farmers, workers, youth, and people’s movements in Indonesia and Nepal in demanding:
- Justice and accountability for every victim of state violence, including thorough and impartial investigations, and complete reparations without conditions.
- Immediate reforms to agricultural and economic policies to ensure the rights, livelihoods, and dignity of farmers and rural communities and other working peoples.
- An end to repression and censorship, and the full restoration of civic and democratic freedoms.
- Democratic, people-centered governance that listens to and serves the needs of the marginalized rather than the interests of elites.
Indonesia and Nepal’s struggles are linked to larger and broader peoples’ struggles across Asia and the world: a fight for democratic and collective rights to land, life, resources, livelihoods, and fundamental civil and political rights.
We stand united with the peoples of Indonesia and Nepal in their struggle for justice, accountability, and dignity. Their voices transcend borders, fueling the global fight for human rights and sovereignty. ###
Signed by the following organizations:
- PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP), Regional
- Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), Regional
- Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Regional
- Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN), Regional
- Asian Rural Women’s Coalition (ARWC), Regional
- Coalition of Agricultural Workers International (CAWI), Global
- IBON International, Global
- Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), Global
- Peoples Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS), Global
- Australia Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ACHRP), Australia
- Films 4 Peace Foundation, Bangladesh
- SHISUK, Bangladesh
- Ponlok Khmer Organization, Cambodia
- Anthra, India
- Food Sovereignty Alliance (FSA), India
- National Alliance of Agricultural Allied Workers Union (NAAWU), India
- Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED), India
- Andhra Pradesh Vyavsaya Vruthidarula Union (APVVU), India
- SAHANIVASA Association for Voluntary Social Service, India
- MPKS, India
- Vikas Adhyayan Kendra, india
- Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ), Indonesia
- Institute for Research & Advocacy of Borneo (LinkARBorneo), Indonesia
- International Migrants Alliance (IMA), Indonesia
- JPIC Kalimantan, Indonesia
- PROGRESS, Indonesia
- SERUNI, Indonesia
- Transnational Palm Oil Labour Solidarity (TPOLS), Indonesia
- Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA), Indonesia
- Beranda Perempuan, Indonesia
- The People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA), Indonesia
- Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN), Jordan
- Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links (APWSL), Korea
- Arab Network for Food Sovereignty (ANFS), Lebanon
- ALGA – Women’s Association, Kyrgyzstan
- Tenaganita, Malaysia
- Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur (India)
- Centre for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia
- Indigenous Media Foundation, Nepal
- National Campaign for Sustainable Development, Nepal
- National Indigenous Women Forum (NIWF), Nepal
- Social Work Institute (SWI), Nepal
- Thakali Women’s Federation, Nepal
- Roots for Equity, Pakistan
- Society for Peace and Sustainable Development, Pakistan
- Amihan, Philippines
- Land is Life, Philippines
- People’s Solidarity and Education Tours (PSET), Philippines
- Damayang Migrante, Philippines
- Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), Philippines
- Sevalanka Foundation, Sri Lanka
- Vikalpani National Women’s Federation, Sri Lanka
- Committee of Hope, Timor-Leste
- Farmworkers Association of Florida, USA
- Frente Unido Inmigrantes Ecuatorianos (EEUU), USA
