Photo courtesy: Konsorsium Pembaruan Agragria
The International Land Coalition (ILC) expresses its strongest solidarity with the peasant and small-scale farmers of the Aceh Peasants Union (SETIA) and all agrarian communities across Indonesia who continue to face escalating repression, intimidation, criminalization, and structural injustice in their struggle for land rights.
We are deeply alarmed by the recent abduction and detention of five SETIA peasants —Dwijo Warsito, Abdullah, Adi Darma, Iwan Riski, and Suwanto—by regional police authorities. While we acknowledge the release of those five individuals following public pressure, we urgently call for an end to the intimidation of the 22 peasants who have been summoned for questioning. Arrests carried out without warrants, transparency, or due process constitute serious violations of human rights and undermine the rule of law.
These events are not isolated. They reflect broader patterns of agrarian conflict and repression documented throughout Indonesia. According to the 2025 Annual Report of ILC member, Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria (KPA), or the Consortium for Agrarian Reform in Indonesia, the plantation and agribusiness sector remains the largest contributor to agrarian conflicts, with 135 recorded incidents affecting over 352,000 hectares and 8,734 peasant households. Infrastructure projects were followed by 69 conflicts, impacting nearly 60,000 hectares and 12,786 households. The mining sector accounts for 46 conflicts affecting 58,904 hectares and 11,020 households, while property and real estate projects generated 36 conflicts. The forestry sector recorded 31 incidents covering a vast 435,439 hectares, and even military facilities contributed 24 conflicts, affecting an alarming 68,934 households.
These figures demonstrate that agrarian conflict in Indonesia is systemic, driven by overlapping claims between communities and large-scale corporate or state-backed projects. The ongoing conflict between SETIA peasants and PTPN (State-owned Plantation Enterprise) IV over 7,506 hectares of land in Cot Girek is emblematic of this structural imbalance. Despite being recognized as a Priority Location for Agrarian Reform (LPRA), that proposed by KPA and its member organisations since 2017, the dispute remains unresolved, leaving peasants vulnerable to eviction, violence, and criminalization.
Furthermore, findings from the Hidden Iceberg Report 2025 reveal that judicial harassment constitutes more than 54% of all documented attacks in Indonesia. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are disproportionately targeted, representing the majority of victims, while over 64% of attacks are directed at those defending land and territory. These patterns point to a systematic use of legal and coercive mechanisms to silence legitimate land rights defenders.
The International Land Coalition condemns all forms of intimidation, criminalization, and violence against agrarian communities. Farmers seeking justice and recognition of their land rights must not be treated as criminals. Instead, they should be recognized as essential actors in sustainable development, food security, and environmental stewardship.
We call on the Government of Indonesia to:
- Ensure the implementation of genuine agrarian reform by resolving agrarian conflict and redistributing land to the peasants, small-scale farmers, and Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia.
- Halt all forms of intimidation and criminalization against agrarian communities;
- Ensure and guarantee the safety of SETIA peasants in the LPRA.;
- Conduct an independent investigation into unlawful arrests and human rights violations;
- Expedite the resolution of agrarian conflicts, particularly in recognized LPRA areas.;
- Review and evaluate land concessions, including the Land-use Permit (HGU) of PTPN IV, in line with agrarian reform commitments;
- Strengthen institutional mechanisms, including the proposed National Agrarian Reform Implementation Agency (BP-RAN), to address structural land inequality.
- The ILC stands with the peasants of Aceh, KPA, and all communities across Indonesia defending their rights to land, livelihood, and dignity. Their struggle is not only a national issue but a global call for justice, equity, and accountability in land governance.
ILC stands with the peasants of Aceh, KPA, and all communities across Indonesia defending their rights to land, livelihood, and dignity. Their struggle is not only a national issue but a global call for justice, equity, and accountability in land governance.