The Reform Commission Asked To Encourage The Police To Build A Perkap For The Protection Of Environmental Fighters Who Are Vulnerable To Criminalization

Environmental activists from various civil society organizations asked the Commission for the Acceleration of Police Reform to encourage the preparation of the National Police Chief Regulation (Perkap) regarding the protection of environmental fighters or Anti-SLAPP rules.

This request was conveyed in an audience conducted by the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), Walhi, Greenpeace Indonesia, and the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago to the Commission for the Acceleration of Police Reform.

ICEL Executive Director Raynaldo G. Sembiring said the regulation was needed to stop criminalization of environmental defenders by police officers who often occur in the field.

"Specifically, ICEL and Walhi asked the National Police to immediately form a Police Perkap regarding protection for environmental fighters or Anti-SLAPP," said Raynaldo at the Ministry of State Secretariat Office, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 26.

Raynaldo assessed that Perkap is needed to prevent forms of criminalization and violence that often target activists and other human rights defenders.

"Hopefully, if there is a Police Perkap, we can suppress as many forms of violence and criminalization against environmental fighters as possible," he said.

According to him, adding that the legal basis for protecting environmental fighters is strong, either through the Environmental Law or the decision of the Constitutional Court. Therefore, the Police have no reason to postpone the preparation of the regulation.

"The Environmental Law has mandated, then there is also a decision from the Constitutional Court, so what are you waiting for? We hope that the Police can do that," explained Raynaldo.

During the hearing, Raynaldo reminded that the plan to draft an Anti-SLAPP Cap was actually the National Police Chief's commitment through the recommendation of the Legal Reform Team formed by former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhkkam) Mahfud MD.

"Earlier, we conveyed that when Prof Mahfud formed the Legal Reform Team, there had also been results and it had been submitted to the President and the National Police Chief, and the National Police Chief also agreed to arrange it in 2024," he said.

Civil society organizations also submit data and field records related to violence and criminalization against activists. Where, from 2014 to 2024, there were around 1,131 environmental activists who experienced violence and criminalization.

The cases vary, ranging from cases in the plantation sector, mining, to national strategic projects. Of that number, about 549 people were tried and punished.

Raynaldo hopes that the Perkap preparation process will be continued after discussing the substance of the meeting. He assessed that changing the character of the National Police institution to become more humane is an important part of the police reform agenda.

"So far, people in the field, as friends, will definitely worry or be resistant when dealing with the Police, which we said earlier, did not close their eyes, which actually became a tool or backing up for corporations that we suspect are damaging the environment," he added.