Jakarta, January 7, 2026 – Auriga Nusantara considers the arrest without due process and violent actions against journalist Royman M. Hamid and environmental activist Arlan Dahirin by Morowali Police on January 3-4, 2026, in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, as a strong indication of the criminalization of environmental defenders. This incident occurred amid an agrarian conflict between residents of Torete Village and the mining company PT Raihan Catur Putra (PT RCP).
Video footage circulating on social media shows the authorities carrying out repressive arrests, including choking, neck locking, and forced dragging, without showing their assignment letters or first handing over arrest warrants. Auriga considers these actions to be an excessive use of force without justification, as there was no emergency situation or real threat to the officers.
This conflict stems from a land dispute between Torete villagers and PT RCP. Residents claim that part of PT RCP's Mining Business Permit (IUP) area is located on their farmland, which was taken without their consent and without a fair settlement. On January 3, 2026, Arlan Dahirin was arrested while accompanying residents in the farm area. This arrest sparked anger among residents, which led to protests. A day later, on January 4, 2026, police arrested Royman M. Hamid at his residence.
Auriga Nusantara asserted that such practices demonstrate the state's failure to address conflicts over natural resource management. In fact, Article 66 of Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management explicitly prohibits the criminalization of environmental defenders. This provision is reinforced by Constitutional Court Decision Number 119/PUU-XXIII/2025 and Supreme Court Decision Number 4398K/Pid -Sus-LH/2025. In the context of journalistic work, the police are also required to refer to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Press Council and the National Police before taking legal action.
"This violent arrest cannot be separated from the pattern of criminalization of environmental defenders that continues to recur in areas of natural resource conflict. The authorities should act as guarantors of citizens' rights, not instruments of repression," said Fauziah, a legal researcher at Auriga Nusantara.
Based on Auriga Nusantara's records, from 2014 to December 2025, there were at least 192 cases of threats of violence against environmental defenders, 117 of which were abuses of the legal process in the form of criminalization and lawsuits. This figure at least shows that the legal protection for environmental defenders guaranteed by law is not being properly enforced by law enforcement agencies, and confirms that threats to civil liberties in the environmental sector are structural, Fauziah added.
Fauziah emphasized the statement made by Morowali Police Chief AKBP Zulkarnain, who said that Royman's arrest was purely a matter of law enforcement for alleged arson and uncooperativeness, but that this could not cover up the fact that the violence committed by the authorities had been clearly recorded in front of the public. Formal procedural claims become meaningless when they are carried out through intimidation and physical violence.
On that basis, Auriga Nusantara urges the National Police Chief and the Central Sulawesi Provincial Police Chief to evaluate and investigate allegations of procedural violations and violence by the authorities in a transparent manner, and to request the termination of legal proceedings against Arlan Dahiri and Royman M. Hamid.
Contact Person
Fauziah, Legal Researcher at Auriga Nusantara (e-mail: fauziah@auriga.or.id)