Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas

A statement by Friends of the Earth International condemning the violent infiltration of Wadas village by Indonesian security forces in February 2022 and the broader criminalisation of environmental defenders in Indonesia.

• On 8 February 2022, approximately 250 police and military personnel entered Wadas village in Central Java, Indonesia, to oversee land measurement for a mining project by the Purworejo Land Agency (BPN Purworejo). The operation resulted in violence, intimidation, and the arrest of at least 63 people, including 13 children.
• The Wadas community has protested since 2018 against a proposed andesite mine on 114 hectares of land located about 8 kilometres northwest of the village. The mine is intended to support the construction of the Bener dam. Residents oppose the project because the site is on productive agricultural land that serves as a water catchment area for 23 springs and prevents landslides.
• The Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, issued a location permit (IPL) in 2018 that allowed for the seizure of land from Wadas residents.
• The events in Wadas are part of a wider pattern of police violence and criminalisation of natural resource defenders in Indonesia. WALHI recorded at least 182 residents facing criminalisation between 2021 and 2022. Specific incidents include the detention of 10 residents in Pasar Seluma village, Bengkulu, on 27 December 2021, and a protest against a gold mine in Parigi Moutong Regency, Central Sulawesi, on 12 February 2022, where 59 residents were detained and one person was killed.

APA

Prak, C. (2022). Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/internationalist-solidarity-with-wadas-indonesia/

Chicago

Prak, Caroline. Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas. Friends of the Earth International, 2022. https://www.foei.org/internationalist-solidarity-with-wadas-indonesia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Prak |first1=Caroline |title=Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=9 March 2022 |url=https://www.foei.org/internationalist-solidarity-with-wadas-indonesia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{prak2022internationalist, author = {Prak, Caroline}, title = {{Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/internationalist-solidarity-with-wadas-indonesia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }