TEMPO.CO, Semarang - Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Semarang chapter, the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) Central Java branch, Legal Resources Center for Gender Equality and Human Rights, have demanded three farmers of Sukorono Wetan Village, Kendal District, Central Java, be released.
The farmers have been sent to eight years in prison for alleged grabbing of state-owned plantation company Perhutani’s land that was provided as a replacement of the land on which a cement plant is built in Rembang District.
“Central Java Court has the ordered arrests of the farmers. The arrest orders have made the farmers suffer even more,” Central Java PBHI chairman Kahar Mualamsyah said yesterday.
“The farmers have families and children who need their fathers and they serve as family benefactors as well,” Kahar added.
He referred to article 31 of the Criminal Code that says that detention may be suspended for convicts who file an appeal. Kahar said that the three farmers have been criminalized following a dispute over replacement land provided by Perhutani for state-owned cement company PT Semen Indonesia mine.
According to him, locals had used the land since 1972 before the forestry ministry named it production forest. Locals were able to use the land since concession holder PT Sumurpitu abandoned it.
The NGOs noted that Kendal District Court has previously used its verdict to suppress the poor. He pointed to the judicial panel’s failure to understand the plight of Surokonto Wetan residents and has instead ruled in favor of Perhutani who often treat nearby locals with disregard.
“Perhutani’s domination on forest management in Java has not resulted in improved people’s well-being, it gets even stronger leading to potential suffering of the people,” Kahar said.
Locals have used the 127.821 hectares of land since 1970. Having been abandoned by concession holder PT Sumurpitu, the land was claimed by Perhutani in 2013 for teak plantation. “We have never been told to go away when we used the land since its abandonment. After being sold to PT Semen Indonesia and being used as replacement land [for a cement plant] in Rembang, we have been criminalized,” Sukoronto Wetan farmer Kaswanto said.
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