Jakarta — The repeated criminalisation of Indigenous youth in Poco Leok, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has prompted a formal complaint to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Poco Leok Advocacy Coalition said in a statement on Wednesday, March 26.
On March 3, 2025, a group of Indigenous youth from the Poco Leok Indigenous Community, known as the Aliansi Pemuda Poco Leok Menggugat, staged a peaceful protest in front of the Manggarai Regional Parliament (DPRD) and the Regent’s office. They demanded the revocation of a 2022 decree issued by Manggarai Regent Hery Bertus Nabit, which designated a geothermal project site in Poco Leok without the community’s free, prior, and informed consent.
However, the protest led to a police report filed by the Manggarai Regency Government, accusing the youth of damaging the gate of the Regent’s office under Articles 170(1), 406, and 55(1) of the Indonesian Criminal Code. The case is now being escalated from an inquiry to a formal investigation by the Manggarai Police.
Judianto Simanjuntak, legal counsel from the Poco Leok Advocacy Coalition, said this is a misrepresentation and a wrongful criminalisation of peaceful protest. He clarified that no intentional damage occurred; instead, there was a pushing incident between demonstrators and security personnel, which led to the gate falling toward the crowd.
According to the coalition, the criminalization effort infringes on the constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples to voice opposition and defend their ancestral lands. Yulianto Behar Nggali Mara, another lawyer from the coalition and a staff member of the Legal and Policy Advocacy Division at the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) that this is not a criminal matter, but a political one. He said that it concerns Indigenous peoples’ rights to defend their territory and way of life.
The coalition filed its formal complaint with Komnas HAM on March 25, 2025, citing multiple legal and procedural violations, including: The use of “clarification summons,” which is not recognised under Indonesian criminal procedure law.
Summonses delivered less than the required three days before questioning, violating Article 227 of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
A pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing Indigenous resistance against the Ulumbu Geothermal Power Plant project.
Yulianto said this is not the first time the people of Poco Leok have faced criminalisation. In 2023, they were also targeted after opposing the same geothermal project. He said it reflects a disturbing trend where law enforcement forgets its duty to protect citizens, especially Indigenous communities, following the Police Act No. 2 of 2002.
Ermelina Singereta, a human rights defender and another legal team member, emphasised the impact on Indigenous women. She said this shows the lack of empathy and understanding by Manggarai Police regarding the struggles of Indigenous women in defending their land, which is both their livelihood and cultural identity.
The coalition is urging Komnas HAM to investigate the Manggarai Police’s actions related to criminalising the Poco Leok youth and to issue a legal protection letter for the Indigenous youth as human rights defenders. They also recommend that the National Police Chief, NTT Police Chief, and Manggarai Police Chief halt all legal proceedings in this case and ensure the protection of the Poco Leok Indigenous community’s rights to oppose the geothermal project peacefully.
Komnas HAM’s complaint division officially received the complaint, which confirmed that a similar case had been submitted previously and that this matter would be forwarded to the commissioners for further follow-up.
The Poco Leok Advocacy Coalition maintains that the Indigenous community’s fight is not just about land but about protecting their identity, heritage, and environment from extractive industries imposed without consent. (nsh)
Banner photo: Peaceful protest of Poco Leok Indigenous Community, 3 March 2025. (Source: Aliansi Pemuda Poco Leok Menggugat)
