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Criminalization of Journalists and Activists in Morowali: The State's Failure to Comply with Regulations Guaranteeing Legal Protection for Environmental Defenders
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Resource Exploitation, Threats, and Terror: The Status of Indonesian Environmental Activists in 2025
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Bambang Hero Saharjo
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER CASES
Threats Against Environmental Defenders ( 2014 - 31 December 2025 )
Threats against environmental defenders are spread across the major islands of Indonesia. Based on documentation by Auriga Nusantara, throughout 2014 to 2025 there were 193 recorded cases with a total of 1101 environmental defenders affected. The highest number of cases occurred in Sumatra with 51 cases, in Java with 51 cases, in Sulawesi with 30 cases, in Kalimantan with 29 cases, Bali and Nusa Tenggara recorded 20 cases, the Maluku Islands had 8 cases, and Tanah Papua had 4 cases.
These threats occur in almost all provinces in Indonesia. Several provinces with the highest number of cases include: North Sumatra with 20 cases; Central Java with 16 cases; East Nusa Tenggara with 15 cases; West Java and East Java (12 cases each), Central Kalimantan with 11 cases; Special Capital Region of Jakarta with 10 cases; Central Sulawesi and North Sulawesi (9 cases each); East Kalimantan with 8 cases; Southeast Sulawesi with 7 cases; Bengkulu and North Maluku (6 cases each); West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Bangka Belitung Islands, and Riau Islands (5 cases each); Jambi, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and West Sumatra (4 cases each); Aceh with 3 cases; Maluku, Papua, West Papua, and Riau (2 cases each); and Bali, Banten, West Sulawesi, and South Sumatra (1 case each)
Numbers of threats to environmental defenders
( 2014 - 31 December 2025 )
Threats against Environmental Defenders tend to increase year by year. This trend has continued into the early years of the administration of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Data from 2025 recorded at least 33 cases. This figure is higher than in previous years. Government policy directions that position natural resource commodities as the main driver of economic growth and industrial downstreaming have become one of the causes of the high number of threats and violence against environmental defenders in Indonesia.
Types of threats against environmental defenders
( 2014 - 31 December 2025 )
Abuse of legal processes (criminalization and civil lawsuits/SLAPP) constitutes the most common type of threat experienced by Environmental Defenders in Indonesia, accounting for 118 out of 193 cases. This is followed by physical violence with 31 cases, intimidation with 26 cases, killings with 15 cases, property destruction with 7 cases, and deportation with 2 cases.
Threats Against Environmental Defenders by Sector
( 2014 - 31 December 2025 )
As in previous years, the mining and energy sector remains the most threatening to Environmental Defenders. Out of 193 cases, 84 occurred in the mining and energy sector. The plantation sector is the second largest contributor (49 cases), followed by the forestry sector (25 cases), agrarian/indigenous land (17 cases), fisheries and maritime (11 cases), and the environment sector (13 cases).