Throughout May 2026, public screenings of ‘Pesta Babi’ (The Pig Feast), a documentary by Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cypri Dale, have been met not only with public support through community screenings but also intimidation, criminalization, and forced shutdowns. The documentary highlights environmental exploitation in several regions, particularly Papua, and continues the tradition of investigative films produced by Watchdoc, which often criticize government policies, oligarchic interests, and state officials.
According to Watchdoc, until 14 May 2026, there have been at least 21 instances of intimidation during screenings of ‘Pesta Babi’ across different regions, with many additional instances of bullying unreported. These instances included threatening phone calls, monitoring by security intelligence, requests for the identity of organizers, and forcible dissolutions of events. Many of these incidents of intimidation and shutdowns were carried out by security forces (the military and the police). Kompas reporting similarly shows frequent military shutdowns of community screenings (nonton bareng) that have been organized across Indonesia, invoking grounds such as missing permits and alleged disruption of public order or provocation. Major shutdowns include the dissolution of the community screening at the University of Mataram on 7 May 2026.
These interventions have been criticized for being outside of the military’s institutional mandate and raise broader concerns about the shrinking of civic space and the growing presence of militarized practices in civilian life, particularly regarding freedom of expression and public discussion. Shutting down peaceful gatherings under the pretext that they are “provocative” or “lack permits” erodes the constitutional guarantees of free speech. When this happens through intervention by the military it sets a dangerous precedent of military interference in civilian spaces. Forcing these discussions underground also harms public discourse. It fosters a chilling effect—a culture of fear and self-censorship where academic institutions, students, and NGOs become hesitant to host discussions, thereby deteriorating the enabling environment.