In Indonesia, a shift is underway to protect the people who guard the environment and hold bad actors accountable.
A landmark ruling from the Cibinong District Court may become a precedent for safeguarding scientists, experts, and residents who speak up about environmental harm, according to the University of Melbourne, Indonesia.
The case centered on two professors from Bogor Agricultural Institute, Bambang Hero Saharjo and Basuki Wasis, whose work reconstructing peatland fires helped the government hold a plantation company accountable for its contribution to the disaster.
When that company later sued the professors in retaliation, the court stepped in.
The decision is tied to Indonesia’s Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) framework. This set of protections is intended to prevent abusive lawsuits filed to intimidate people who participate in efforts in the public interest.
For years, scientists and community members have faced legal threats simply for providing expert testimony, reporting damage, or trying to protect their own land. This ruling showed that the system is beginning to work the way reformers hoped: by preventing powerful companies from using the courts to silence critics.
The professors’ findings ultimately convinced the court in the 2018 peatland fires case to side with Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment. As a result, the Kalimantan Lestari Mandiri palm oil plantation, which was accused of intentionally and recklessly burning the land, had to fork over millions in damages.
This case is an example of the accountability communities depend on to recover and prepare for future risks. But companies have often used lawsuits to discourage experts from testifying.
By throwing out the case early, the court showed judges across Indonesia that public-interest participation is something to defend, not punish. When experts feel safe giving testimony, communities have better access to information and recourse when companies cause harm.
Local governments can enforce laws without fearing that witnesses will be scared away, and families can take local action to ensure their health and safety aren’t put on the line just for profit.
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The ruling also reinforced early screening for SLAPP characteristics and modeled approaches for handling similar cases going forward.
“Hopefully, this will set a good precedent to protect environmental defenders and activists and enable the effort to rescue the deteriorating environment without the threat of pressure and lawsuits,” Professor Bambang told Mongabay.
“The more public participation there is in the effort to defend, maintain, and protect the environment, the easier it will be to achieve sustainability of forests and a clean and healthy environment in Indonesia,” added Basuki, the other professor in the lawsuit.
“We hope this ruling will encourage other experts to boldly fight for environmental rights,” said Linda Rosalina, executive director of forestry nonprofit Transformation for Justice.
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