JAKARTA — In 2023, environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan was sentenced to seven months in prison under Indonesia’s controversial online hate speech law. His crime? A Facebook post criticizing illegal shrimp farms operating within Karimunjawa National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Tangkilisan was part of the #SaveKarimunjawa movement, which aimed to expose the environmental damage caused by these shrimp farms, including deforestation of mangrove forests and ocean pollution from untreated waste. The movement successfully campaigned to close some shrimp farms, but most remain in operation, affecting the island’s tourism trade and fisheries that many residents rely on.
Many saw Daniel’s case as an example of a SLAPP tactic — a strategic lawsuit against public participation designed to intimidate and silence critics of corporate or governmental misconduct. His prosecution drew international condemnation from environmental and human rights groups, who argued that the case was an abuse of legal tools to stifle legitimate activism.
In May 2024, Daniel was exonerated after serving four months in prison. His case shines a spotlight on the ongoing struggles faced by environmental defenders in Indonesia, who continue to face legal threats while trying to protect the nation’s natural resources.
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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
Once it’s up and running, every second
it discharges liquid waste
Solid waste is also dumped here.
This is still a waste!
It’s blackened.
Currently, since intensive shrimp farming
has taken over, it is very scary.
The waste that’s supposed to be processed first
is instead pumped directly into the sea.
This is what pollutes our seas.
As a result, our mangroves all died.
Because of the sheer volume of waste spilled here.
This intensive shrimp farming entered
the Karimunjawa area in early 2017,
Businesspeaople from outside Karimun started cutting down the mangroves here to start their business.
And every year it continues to expand, from year to year,
from 2017, 2018, then during the COVID years,
when tourism was closed, the shrimp farms really boomed.
Now, with the arrival of these shrimp ponds,
the areas that were once green with
mangroves have been dug up,
the mangroves cleared, and replaced with ponds
and sheets of plastic for the shrimp farms.
What we’re against is the way they operate.
These farms discharge the waste carelessly.
As we understand it,
if the waste is processed properly,
we won’t have issues with the shrimp farms here.
We started having difficulty catching
squid about 2 years ago.
But because some polluting and
llegal shrimp farms were sanctioned,
fishers have increased their catch in just
a few months, since around April.
Many of us started to gather and we formed
the Karimunjawa Resistance Network.
During the first demonstration, we were attacked, blocked.
It wasn’t the police who blocked us, but the shrimp farmers.
We asked Greenpeace if they could bring
in more media attention here.
And they did. After that, we organized an action, canoeing.
We deliberately went along the beaches
that were affected by the waste.
After that, the media started publishing the story,
including the national media outlets.
Seeing the coverage, many tourism operators got
furious, as did many locals in Karimunjawa.
We also released a lot of content, some of them
were posted on Facebook, on Instagram.
And because of these Facebook posts,
well not the posts themselves,
but the comments below them,
Daniel was reported to the police.
OK, Daniel, thank you for your time
and for agreeing to an interview with Mongabay.
Nice to meet you. I’m Basten Gokkon,
a journalist from Mongabay.
Why did you decide to take part in this campaign,
against these illegal shrimp farmers?
I think it’s strange that when the place
where you live continues to be polluted,
damaged, that you don’t get angry.
You want to clean it up
and reprimand the polluter.
Then, I posted on Facebook on November 12.
I’d only hoped that it would be heard, become viral
so that more attention would come from the public,
from the government, and to make improvements.
And if possible, to close the source of pollution,
which is the shrimp farms.
I was stopped at the port of Karimunjawa
and told to admit
what I meant by ‘shrimp-brained people’
were the people of Karimunjawa.
I didn’t admit it, because that’s not what I thought.
No…I didn’t…I didn’t mean that.
But I was forced to admit.
It wasn’t just a request, they forced me to admit
it while they had me in a headlock.
When the judge started reading out the
verdict, I already knew where this was going.
I just arrived at prison, returned to detention
late at night, I was not well.
I slept on the floor, and not in a place where I could sleep.
Because the spot where I could sleep was
already occupied by other detainees,
who were, I think, more than
20 people at the time.
Even the panel of judges admitted,
in considering their decision,
that he was an environmental fighter or activist.
That’s what actually makes us sad!
When the panel of judges acknowledged that
Daniel was an environmental defender,
they should’ve also taken into account the legal
provisions that apply to environmental activists.
Maybe the farmers thought he was
the most fragile to scare us,
he was successfully detained.
Maybe so we would be quiet, but no.
We cannot be silenced as long as the farmers
are here, we won’t be quiet.
Because this is a disaster for Karimunjawa.
In protecting the environment,
we also protect human rights.
We have rights to the environment.
To a clean environment, a pristine
environment, because that’s what sustains us,
And it needs protection. Not just
protection for the activists as they fight
but also protection for nature itself,
which is what we fight for.
[JACK] Once it’s up and running, every second
it discharges liquid waste.
Solid waste is also dumped here.
This is still a waste!
It’s blackened.
Currently, since intensive shrimp farming
has taken over, it is very scary.
The waste that’s supposed to be purified first
is instead pumped directly into the sea.
This is what pollutes our seas.
[JACK] As a result, our mangroves all died.
Because of the waste density that’s leaked all over here.
[JACK] This intensive shrimp farming entered
the Karimunjawa area in early 2017,
Entrepreneurs from outside Karimun and then cut down
some of the mangroves here to start the business.
And every year it continues to expand, from year to year,
from 2017, 2018, then in our era hit by COVID, tourism was closed,
from 2017, 2018, then in our era hit by COVID,
tourism was closed, shrimp farming entrepreneurs
actually spread at that time.
[JACK] After now, when these shrimp ponds appeared,
which were initially green with mangroves,
now they have to be digging up,
the mangroves have to be cut down, replaced with water holes,
and the plastic beds of these shrimp ponds are spread out.
[SAHRONI] What we’re against is the way they operate.
These farms discharge the waste carelessly.
Meanwhile, as far as our concern, if the waste is processed properly,
we won’t have issues with the shrimp farms here.
It was very difficult for us to catch squid about 2 years ago.
But because some polluting and illegal shrimp farms were sanctioned,
fishers have increased their catch in just
a few months, since around April.
[JACK] Many of us started to gather and we formed
the Karimunjawa Resistance Network.
During the first demonstration, we were attacked, blocked.
It wasn’t the police who blocked us, but the shrimp farmers.
We asked Greenpeace if they could bring in more media attention here.
And they did. After that, we organized an action, canoeing.
We deliberately went along the beaches
that were affected by the waste.
After that, the media started publishing the story,
including the national media outlets.
Seeing the coverage, many tourism operators got
furious, as did many locals in Karimunjawa.
We also released a lot of content, some of them
were posted on Facebook, on Instagram.
And because of this Facebook post,
well not the post actually, but a statement in the comment section,
Daniel was reported to the police.
[BASTEN] OK, Mas Daniel, thank you for your time
and for agreeing to interview with Mongabay.
Nice to meet you. I am Basten Gokkon,
a journalist from Mongabay.
Why did you finally decide to take part in this campaign,
against these illegal shrimp farmers?
[DANIEL] I think it’s strange if, for example, the place
where you live continues to be polluted,
damaged, and then you don’t get angry?
So, you want to clean it up and reprimand
the person who creates the pollution.
Then, I posted on Facebook on November 12th.
I’d only hoped that it would be heard, become viral
so that more attention would come from the public,
from the government, and to make improvements.
And if possible, to close the source of pollution,
which is the shrimp farms.
[DANIEL] At the port of Karimunjawa
I was stopped, and asked to admit
what I meant by ‘shrimp brain people’
was the people of Karimunjawa.
I didn’t admit it, because that’s not what I thought.
No…I didn’t…I didn’t mean that.
But I was forced to admit.
It’s not just requested, forced to admit
it while they had me in a headlock.
The moment the judge read out the verdict,
in the middle I already knew where this was going.
I just arrived at prison, returned to detention
late at night, I was not well.
I slept on the floor, and not in a place where I could sleep.
Because the spot where I could sleep was
already occupied by my roommates,
who at that time, if I’m not mistaken, had more than 20 people.
Even the panel of judges admitted,
in considering their decision,
that he was an environmental fighter or activist.
That’s what actually makes us sad!
When the panel of judges acknowledged that
Daniel was an environmental defender,
they should’ve also taken into account the legal
provisions that apply to environmental activists.
[JACK] Maybe the farmers thought he was
the most fragile to scare us,
he was successfully detained.
Maybe so we would be quiet, but no.
We cannot be silenced as long as the farmers
are here, we won’t be quiet.
Because this is a disaster for Karimunjawa.
[DANIEL] In terms of protecting the environment,
we also protect human rights.
We have rights to the environment.
Towards a clean environment, to a beautiful
environment, because that can revive us,
Need that protection. It’s not just protection
for the activists, they are fighting,
but also the protection of nature itself,
which is what they are fighting for.