Jakarta, July 22, 2024 – Environmental and land rights activists from the Indigenous Awyu and Moi Sigin Peoples of Tanah Papua again visited Indonesia’s Supreme Court in Jakarta today, this time armed with the support of a quarter-million signers of a petition about their fight to protect their ancestral forests from the threat of clearing for palm oil.
Accompanying the Awyu and Moi Sigin activists were a number of Indonesian public figures including Melanie Subono, Farwiza Farhan, Kiki Nasution and Ronald Rischard Tapilatu, and civil society groups including Extinction Rebellion, the Papuan Students Association (IMAPA), the Sustainable Forestry Foundation (YMKL), and student representatives from the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia. Dressed in traditional attire of Indigenous peoples across the archipelago, they carried banners and posters with messages such as “All Eyes on Papua” and “Save Papuan Ancestral Forests and People.”
The group visited the Supreme Court not only to submit the petition but to inquire about the progress of their cassation appeals filed in March and early May respectively.
“We still haven’t received any notification, not even a registration number, for the cassation cases that we, the Awyu and Moi Sigin communities, filed with the Supreme Court. We want to ask the Court about the progress of our lawsuit. We have come all the way from Tanah Papua yet again because we are anxiously awaiting a decision that will save our ancestral forests,” said Hendrikus Woro, an environmental defender from the Awyu People.
Hendrikus Woro’s lawsuit concerns an environmental feasibility permit issued by the Papua Provincial Government for palm oil company PT Indo Asiana Lestari (IAL). This palm oil company was issued an environmental permit over a swathe of land more than half the size of Jakarta, situated in the traditional forest of the Woro clan, part of the Awyu People. The potential emissions if the company goes ahead to clear the 26,326 hectares of primary forest in its permit area is approximately 23 million tonnes of CO2. This would be equivalent to five percent of Indonesia’s annual carbon emissions expected in 2030.
In addition to the cassation case against PT IAL, members of the Awyu Indigenous community also filed cassation appeals regarding permits for PT Kartika Cipta Pratama and PT Megakarya Jaya Raya, two more palm oil companies. The Supreme Court’s ruling will determine the fate of 65,415 hectares of pristine rainforest, an area six times the area of the city of Paris, that lie within the PT KCP and PT MJR permit areas.
Meanwhile, members of the Moi Sigin Indigenous People are fighting to protect 18,160 hectares of customary forest in Sorong district that is earmarked for an industrial plantation by palm oil company PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo. The Moi Sigin community has fought back against the plan, intervening in long running legal action by filing an appeal to the Supreme Court on May 3, 2024.
“We received 253,823 signatures on the petition supporting the Awyu and Moi Peoples, which was submitted directly to the Supreme Court today. This petition and the #AllEyesOnPapua movement, which went viral recently, demonstrates widespread public concern for the struggle of the Awyu and Moi people,” said Tigor Hutapea from Pusaka Bentala Rakyat.
Diana Klafiyu, a Moi Sigin Indigenous woman, expressed her gratitude to the members of the public who have lent their voices to their cause. “I am delighted by the support from everyone who signed the petition in support of us, the Moi and Awyu Peoples. My hope is that the judges will decide in favor of us, the Indigenous communities of the Moi and Awyu Peoples,” she said.
Sekar Banjaran Aji, a member of the Advocacy Team to Save Papua Forests from Greenpeace Indonesia added: “Saving the forests of Tanah Papua is not only about strengthening our defenses against the climate and biodiversity crises, but also about preserving our collective natural, social, and cultural wealth. Today we see overwhelming solidarity for Papua. Now it’s time for judges of the Supreme Court to use their legal expertise, their conscience and conviction to side with the Indigenous communities and the forests of Papua.”
In today’s action, representatives of the Awyu and Moi Indigenous communities directly handed over the public support petition to five judges from the Public Relations Bureau of the Supreme Court. According to Tigor Hutapea, these judges stated that they would forward the petition to the Supreme Court justices in the Administrative Chamber. “They stated that the Supreme Court is committed to environmental protection, including safeguarding Indigenous communities. The judges will also try to apply Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 of 2023 on Guidelines for Adjudicating Environmental Cases. This is a piece of good news. Hopefully, the cases under review will yield positive results for the Indigenous communities.”
Note to editors:
Photos and videos are available here of today’s event at the Supreme Court.
Coalition to Save Papua’s Indigenous Forests:
Association for Defenders of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (Perhimpunan Pembela Masyarakat Adat Nusantara), Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Papua, Greenpeace Indonesia, Satya Bumi, LBH Papua, Walhi Papua, Eknas Walhi, PILNet Indonesia, Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Masyarakat, Perkumpulan HuMa Indonesia
Contacts:
Igor O’Neill, Greenpeace Indonesia, [email protected] +61-414-288-424
Tigor Gemdita Hutapea, Pusaka Foundation +62 812-8729-6684