**Environmental Defenders from Awyu and Moi Tribes Seek Justice at Supreme Court**

**Jakarta, May 27, 2024.** Environmental defenders from the Awyu and Moi tribes – both tribes from Papua – visited the Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta this morning. Wearing their respective traditional attire, they held prayers and customary rituals in front of the highest judicial institution, accompanied by Papuan students and several civil society organizations.

Through this peaceful action, the indigenous communities of the Awyu and Moi tribes hope that the Supreme Court will issue a legal decision to protect their customary forests. “We have traveled a long, complicated, and costly journey from Papua to the capital city of Jakarta to ask the Supreme Court to restore our rights that have been taken away by revoking the palm oil company permit that we are currently fighting against,” said Hendrikus Woro, an environmental defender from the Awyu tribe.

The Awyu indigenous community in Boven Digoel, South Papua, and the Moi tribe in Sorong, Southwest Papua, are both involved in legal disputes against the government and palm oil companies to defend their customary forests. Both lawsuits have now reached the cassation stage at the Supreme Court.

Hendrikus Woro is suing the Papua Provincial Government for issuing an environmental feasibility permit for PT Indo Asiana Lestari (IAL). PT IAL holds an environmental permit covering an area of 36,094 hectares, or more than half the size of DKI Jakarta, located in the Woro clan’s customary forest – a part of the Awyu tribe.

However, Hendrikus’ lawsuit was dismissed in the first and second instance courts. Now, cassation at the Supreme Court is his remaining hope to protect the customary forest that has been their ancestral heritage and has been sustaining the Woro clan for generations.

In addition to the cassation of the PT IAL case, several Awyu indigenous communities are also filing cassation against the lawsuits of PT Kartika Cipta Pratama and PT Megakarya Jaya Raya, two palm oil companies that have already or will expand in Boven Digoel. PT KCP and PT MJR, who lost in the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN), filed an appeal and were ruled in favor by the Jakarta Administrative High Court.

“We have long suffered from the plans for palm oil plantations in our customary lands. We want to raise our children through the gifts of nature. Palm oil will destroy our forests, and we reject it,” said Rikarda Maa, an Awyu indigenous woman.

Meanwhile, the Moi Sigin sub-tribe is fighting against PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo (SAS), which intends to clear 18,160 hectares of Moi Sigin’s customary forest for palm oil plantations. PT SAS previously held a concession of 40,000 hectares in Sorong Regency. In 2022, the central government revoked the forest area release permit of PT SAS, followed by the revocation of its business permit. Dissatisfied with this decision, PT SAS filed a lawsuit against the government at the Jakarta PTUN.

Representatives of the Moi Sigin indigenous community are fighting against this by intervening as defendants at the Jakarta PTUN in December 2023. After the judges rejected the lawsuit in early January, the Moi Sigin indigenous community filed for cassation at the Supreme Court on May 3, 2024.

“I urge the Supreme Court to provide legal justice for us, the indigenous communities. Our customary forest is where we hunt and gather sago; the forest is our pharmacy; all our needs are in the forest. The presence of PT SAS is very detrimental to us, the indigenous communities. If we lose our customary forest, where else can we go?” said Fiktor Klafiu, a representative of the Moi Sigin indigenous community who became an intervenor defendant.

The presence of the palm oil companies PT IAL and PT SAS will destroy the forests that are the source of livelihood, food, water, medicines, culture, and knowledge for the Awyu