Protesters, grouped under the Solidarity Against Criminalization and the Maba Sangaji Coalition, staged a rally in front of mining company PT. Position office in Jakarta on Wednesday, demanding the release of 11 Maba Sangaji villagers from Tidore Prison in North Maluku.
The villagers, who had been arrested since May 18, 2025, are currently tried at the Soasio District Court for staging protest against the destruction of their ancestral lands by nickel mining activities. They have been charged with multiple offenses, including extortion, carrying sharp weapons, and obstructing mining activities, despite their protest being nonviolent.
The arrest case contradicts the Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) principle enshrined in Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, which prohibits criminal and civil lawsuits against individuals fighting for a healthy environment.
Wildan Siregar of Trend Asia, who is also a member of the advocacy team, said the court should halt the case based on Supreme Court Regulation No. 1/2023, which guides judges on handling environmental cases.
Nickel mining operations in Halmahera, North Maluku, have expanded rapidly, with 127 mining permits covering 655,581 hectares, including 62 permits for nickel mining. These operations have been linked to widespread deforestation, river pollution, and the displacement of indigenous communities.
Hema Situmorang, Campaigner for the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), highlighted that indigenous communities, like the Maba Sangaji, are being forcibly removed from their lands and criminalized for resisting mining activities.
“What the 11 Maba Sangaji members experienced mirrors what is happening in other mining areas: companies enter without consent, destroy villages, and leave once profits are made, leaving behind environmental destruction and poverty for the local people,” Hema said as quoted in a statement on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 .
The ongoing mining operations in Halmahera have severely affected the environment and daily lives of indigenous communities, including contamination of rivers, loss of agricultural land, and threats to livelihoods.
As part of their demands, the protesters have called for:
1. The Soasio District Court to immediately halt the legal case against the 11 Maba Sangaji members, citing Anti-SLAPP provisions under Supreme Court Regulation No. 1/2023.
2. The restoration of the rights and dignity of the 11 indigenous people.
3. The revocation of PT. Position's mining license and other companies involved in land destruction and environmental damage.
4. The government to stop all nickel mining activities in North Maluku due to their harmful impact on the environment and local communities.
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