Counterterrorism, deradicalization, and victimization in the aftermath of terrorism in Indonesia

In the aftermath of the Bali bombing on October 12, 2002, which is considered the biggest terrorist attack ever against the country, the Indonesian government launched the so-called war against terrorism. Laws against terrorism were soon enacted and applied retroactively. The Special Police to Combat Terrorism - namely, the Detachment of 88 - was formed. A special agency to coordinate counterterrorism measures was also established, called the National Agency for Terrorism Countermeasures (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme). Since the early 2010s, the Agency has conducted a special deradicalization program to combat terrorism while the Detachment of 88 has launched massive manhunts for suspected terrorists all over Indonesia, supported by the Indonesian military. The deradicalization program targets former terrorism suspects and inmates. It also targets schools, universities, and other academic institutions suspected of housing agents of radical ideology dissemination in Indonesia. Both the deradicalization program and the massive manhunt have created problems. On one hand, the Agency has claimed that it has prevented terrorism, but on the other hand, it has victimized innocent people such as the family members of terrorism suspects, and it has violated the civil rights of former inmates. In addition, because of its targeting of specific academic institutions, the Agency has been accused of arbitrarily labeling people as terrorists or future terrorists, which is a clear violation of human rights. This research, therefore, is a study of counterterrorism, including the deradicalization program in Indonesia. It tries to describe the dynamics of the program between the needs of law enforcement and its impact on human rights and civil liberty.