Free Sawin And Sukma Stop The Environmental Criminalization

Tuesday, October 16, 2018, the twentieth day of even Sawin and Sukma became the prisoner of the Indramayu prosecutor's office, in the year of Sawih and Sukma accused of committing criminal acts as referred to in Article 24 in conjunction with Article 66 concerning the State symbol and flag, September 24, 2018 from Indramayu police station and on September 27, 2018 Sawin and Sukma were delegated by police investigators to the indramayu state prosecutor's office. The first time they were arrested such as arrests of terrorists on December 17, 2017. There was a gap of approximately one year in the case of Sawin and Sukma had stopped but 2018 the case was re-processed until now. We suspect that the accusation case against Sawin and Sukma was making up the article of the two farm workers who refused to plan the construction of the Indramayu 2 Coal Power Plant in Mekarsari village where the village was a place to live as well as a place for their livelihood so far. Sawin and Sukma were residents of the Pulokuntul block in Mekarsari village, Patrol sub-district, Indramayu district, their activities as farm laborers, Sawin, a farm laborer, while Sukma was a farm laborer in a rice field. the two people even though only up to elementary school education but they really understand the colors and flags that are the pride of all Indonesian citizens, meaning that when Sawin and Sukma feel they are accused and slandered because they consciously stated they never put up flags in reverse according to what is alleged by the complainant. It is very clear that the allegations of the case were very far-fetched to silence the two farm workers who were struggling to refuse the plan to build Indramayu Coal Power Plant 2. In order to coincide with the worldwide anti-punishment day on October 10 Sawin and Sukma must be immediately released from the accusation which is alleged to be totally absurd, as a result of the accusation that Sawin and Sukma had to leave both their wives and children, both of whom were farm laborers. this has been the backbone of the family. It was very clear that when the family was left by Sawin and Sukma other than their hearts sad and hit they had to replace the position of the head of the household, work for a living and have to take care of their young children and school. The statement of the wife of Sukma, Erawati's, said, "I was very hurt because my husband was accused, I was having trouble eating and it was difficult to do anything because my husband had been the backbone of my family and children. My child has two, four years old and 3 years old, every day asking my father where and when he returns, I like to cry when my child asks that question because I am having trouble answering. How can people report that my husband put the flag upside down, even though at that time I had seen that the flag my husband carried was not properly reversed.

Yati, the wife of Sawin conveyed, "My son still in school needs money to buy snacks and so on. Now, the father of his child is not there, I cry and confuse every day why my husband gets this fate, even though I am sure I will do the flag upside down because I also know when my husband assembles the flag in my house and there I have assembled the flag up to two nights in the corner of Bu Ramini's house, my neighbor. So I was surprised when my husband was accused of reversing the flag upside down, my fate is now uncertain I feel confused to live, I need to eat my child needs school while the husband who is the backbone for oul family is not there. ” Lasma Staff of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH Bandung) said, "I refer to chronology in March 2017 residents saw the construction of road access activities for the PLTU II development plan 2,000 MW then on April 17 2017 residents were represented by Rodi and Sawin to access information to DPMPTST and DLH indramayu after submitting a letter of information on June 12, 2017 Rodi, Sawin and other residents came to DLH Indramayu to request permission for the construction of Coal 2 PLTU in Indramayu at that time after coming to the residents to obtain permission through the procedure for requesting information to DLH Indramayu. On June 5, residents filed a lawsuit against environmental permits at Bandung State Administrative Court and on December 6, 2017 the residents got a Decision with case number 90 / G / LH / 2017 / PTUN. BPG which declared the environmental permit of Indramayu PLTU 2 x 1000 MW was invalid and revoked. On December 14, 2017 residents (Sawin and Sukma) put up a flag as a form of victory over a lawsuit on environmental permits in the Administrative Court. Residents hear information about a babinsa who is doing itreport the existence of a flag that was installed in reverse and then there were arrests of Sawin and Sukma. A little clear from the chronology of why Sawin and Sukma put up a flag, because they agreed with other residents as a form of victory, the residents agreed to put up a flag, but suddenly this upside down was worth seeking out who actually accused the two farm workers of placing a flag upside down because logically no one gets a victory then then berates the State or taunts the State emblem. Wahyudin, WALHI West Java Advocacy Staff said, there were many similar cases in Indonesia but did not end in detention, as we know Saskia Gotik as a public figure who once made a mistake in reading Pancasila but not with kinship until it ended in jail instead was later appointed as Pancasila ambassador. Not only is he many others, which is then quite finished in the family, it is strange that not a public figure who does it is actually detained and criminalized, even though the two Sawin and Sukma farm laborers also stated to the investigator that they never did what was alleged by the complainant, if it is true that the question is why when someone sees the inverted flag does not make a confirmation first or at least reprimands it, suddenly the flag that is reported to be absent in the location has taken it and suddenly there is an accusation against the sapwood and the soul is really very strange in this case.

Dwi Sawung, Manager of the National Executive and Energy Campaign of WALHI stated "This case increases the number of people or people who are criminalized for defending the environment. Communities and expert witnesses who fight for a healthy environment are threatened by criminal articles. The government must guarantee that everyone who fights for the environment is protected as stipulated in article 66 of Law No. 32 of 2009 concerning the environment. With that, we strongly condemn those who report the accusation case to the sapodilla and the Indramayu police, and coincide with 20 days of Sawin and Sukma being held, we urged the police and prosecutor's office of Indramayu to immediately release the sapodilla and sukma, because the case he allegedly did not fulfill the elements contained in article 24 in conjunction with article 66 concerning the State symbol and flag. Such methods cannot be justified, the freedom of environmentalists who fight for a better environment to be very vulnerable are threatened by criminalization with very unclear evidence.   Contact: Wahyudin, WALHI West Java advocacy staff +62 812-1869-4471 Lasma Natalia , LBH Bandung, +62 852-6333-8585Aldo, Amnesty International, +62 812-9092-7142