JAKARTA – The government, through the ministry of environment and forestry (KLHK), issued a new implementing regulation, ministerial regulation (Permen) No.10/2024, which gives legal protection for environmental activists fighting for nature conservation.

Based on the new regulation, the environmental activists will get legal protection against any arbitrary actions committed by irresponsible groups to criminalize them in pursuing their efforts to preserve the environment.

KLHK Ministery stated on Wednesday (11/09.2024) that article-2 of the new regulation stipulates all environmental activists and organizations fighting for nature conservation are legally protected and cannot be legally prosecuted. It is the implementation of article 66 of the law (UU) No.32/ 2009 on protection and management of environment.

The government issued the new implementing regulation, after seeing a number of cases in which the environmental activists, environmental organizations, academicians, and indigenous people are criminalized and taken to court for their environmental actions or environmental advocacies.

Due to weak legal system on environmental protection, the environmental activists are often seen as an obstacle to development and even anti-national, so that they can be easily criminalized by certain irresponsible groups. (*)

Source: sawitku.id