Indonesia suppresses Papua environmental activists, HRW report finds

Human Rights Watch released the 70‑page report “Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice,” documenting how Indonesia’s government, under President Prabowo Subianto, is silencing environmental activists and Indigenous leaders in Papua, especially South Papua. The report says a greater military presence accompanies massive development projects, notably the Merauke Food and Energy Estate, which aims to convert about three million hectares of forest, wetlands and savanna into plantations.

Activists and journalists who criticize deforestation, pollution or forced displacement are arrested, mistreated and forced into lengthy legal battles. The authorities use a suite of laws—including the Plantation Law, Mineral and Mining Law, Job Creation Law and the Prevention of Forest Destruction Law—to bring charges ranging from defamation to “spreading communism.” HRW cites more than 50 cases across Indonesia and highlights fifteen high‑profile prosecutions as examples of this crackdown.