TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chief of the Indonesian National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, has enacted Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025, which includes regulations for monitoring foreigners in Indonesia. One of the decree's articles even regulates journalistic activities requiring police clearance.

"Issuance of a police clearance for foreign nationals who are conducting journalistic and research activities in certain locations," as stated in Article 5, Paragraph 1, Letter b of Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025. The locations referred to in this article are determined following the provisions of the legislation.

The regulation also mentions that the issuance of this police clearance is carried out by the public service section of the Polri's (Indonesian Police) intelligence and security service and the administrative service section of the Regional Police Directorate of Security Intelligence. The process is done electronically through the official Polri website.

Not only for journalistic activities involving foreigners, Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025 also regulates research activities that must obtain permission from the police institution, as stipulated in Article 9, Paragraph 3 of the regulation.

Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, Head of the Public Relations Office of the Police Public Relations Department, has not responded to Tempo's request for an interview regarding the issuance of Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025. As of the completion of this article, there has been no official response from the police regarding the reason for the issuance of this regulation.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Legal Aid Institute for the Press, Mustafa Layong, criticized the police clearance requirement for foreigners doing journalism and research in certain places. According to him, the surveillance of foreigners is Immigration's responsibility.

"This is an abuse of the police's duty and function," said Mustafa to Tempo on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. "Term of 'certain locations' could be interpreted as a means to protect national strategic project (PSN) sites or locations deemed important by the government."

Mustafa stated that Indonesia, as a democratic country, must respect universal human rights principles. For instance, safeguarding and upholding the freedom of the press for every individual, including foreign journalists. Mustafa is suspicious that this regulation was created to restrict the space and movement of journalism.

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