Dwi Januanto Nugroho, the secretary of the ministry's Directorate General of Law Enforcement, said on Wednesday that the Environment and Forestry Minister's Regulation Number 10 of 2024, concerning the protection of environmental activists, serves as an instrument to safeguard those fighting for the environment.
He made this statement at the launch of the Anti-SLAPP information dissemination event organized by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI).
"For matters related to governance, we pay close attention to existing developments, dynamics in law enforcement, amicus curiae, and public participation," he stated.
Nugroho mentioned that there are other Anti-SLAPP legal instruments that support public participation for a healthy environment, including Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 of 2023 and Attorney General's Guidelines Number 8 of 2022.
The regulation grants the Environment and Forestry Minister the authority to form an assessment team comprising various parties to check and verify reports from individuals facing retaliatory actions for advocating for a healthy environment.
Based on these reports, the minister can issue a decree to be conveyed to law enforcement officials.
Environmental activists can also receive legal support if they are sued for their activism.
On the same occasion, Satrio Manggala, the manager of public policy analysis at WALHI, stated that data collected by the forum from 2014 to 2024 shows that at least 1,131 individuals faced criminal charges for fighting for the environment.
The majority of these individuals (548) were sued for activism related to the plantation sector, he noted.
Manggala emphasized the need for legal enforcement officials to better understand the Anti-SLAPP regulations to ensure their proper implementation.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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