Today, Thursday, April 24, 2025, THE LEGAL TEAM OF TOLAK TAMBANG JOINT SECRETARIAT, acting as the legal counsel/representative of the residents of Dairi-North Sumatra, visited the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Pulo Gebang area, East Jakarta, submitting a request for a letter of statement declaring a final and binding judgment, in relation to the Supreme Court's ruling number 277 K/TUN/LH/2024, dated August 12, 2024.

The request was prompted after the Dairi residents won their lawsuit against the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia and the Dairi Prima Mineral, who was also the Intervening party in the issuance of the Decision of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number: SK.854/MENLHK/SETJEN/PLA.4/8/2022 concerning Environmental Feasibility of Zinc and Lead Mining Activities in Silima Pungga-Pungga District, Dairi Regency, North Sumatra Province for PT Dairi Prima Mineral, dated August 11, 2022.

The chronology of the lawsuit is as follows:

1. On July 24, 2023, the Panel of Judges of the Jakarta State Administrative Court in its ruling Number: 59/G/LH/2023/PTUN.JKT declared the Decision of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number: SK.854/MENLHK/SETJEN/PLA.4/8/2022 concerning the Environmental Feasibility of PT. DPM void, and obliged the Minister of Environment and Forestry to recall the decision of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number: SK.854 /MENLHK/SETJEN/PLA.4/8/2022 on the Environmental Feasibility of Zinc and Lead Mining Activities in Silima Pungga-Pungga District, Dairi Regency, North Sumatra Province for PT Dairi Prima Mineral, dated August 11, 2022.
2. However, at the appeal level in the High Court of State Administration(PT.TUN), the Panel of Judges ruled against the Dairi Residents through their ruling Number 265/B/LH/2023/PT.TUN.JKT, November 22, 2023, declaring PTUN Jakarta's ruling Number 59/G/LH/2023/PTUN.JKT, dated July 24, 2023, annulled and void.
3. Afterward, the Dairi residents filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, which ruled in their favor through Decision Number 277 K/TUN/LH/2024, dated August 12, 2024. The decision granted the Dairi residents' appeal and vacated the ruling of PT.TUN Jakarta Number 265/B/LH/2023/PT.TUN.JKT, dated November 22, 2023. 

Judianto Simanjuntak, Dairi residents' lawyer and part of the LEGAL TEAM of the TOLAK TAMBANG JOINT SECRETARIAT stated that with the Supreme Court's ruling, the Ministry of Environment / Environmental Control Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (MoE) should revoke the environmental feasibility of PT DPM as ordered by the Supreme Court. However, in reality, until today the MoE has not yet executed this Supreme Court's ruling, despite the fact that Dairi residents through our legal counsel have so far sent 2 letters to the MoE requesting the execution of the ruling: on November 01, 2024, and February 14, 2025, respectively. We are very disappointed with this and regret that MoE chose to neglect the Supreme Court's ruling.

Judianto stated that since MoE did not execute the Supreme Court's ruling, the Dairi residents' lawyer paid a visit to Jakarta Administrative Court to request for issuance of statement declaring that the Supreme Court's ruling No. 277 K/TUN/LH/2024, dated August 12, 2024 has obtained permanent legal force (inkracht van gewijsde), final and binding as of its ruling on August 12, 2024 by the Supreme Court at the cassation level. This is crucial as the foundation for executing (or implementing) the Supreme Court's ruling.

The Minister of Environment / Environmental Control Agency of the Republic of Indonesia must stop disrespecting the dignity of the Supreme Court and disregarding the law by not executing the Supreme Court's Cassation ruling. This is against the mandate of Article 97 paragraph (8) and paragraph (9) of Law Number 5 of 1986 concerning State Administrative Courts where the implementation of court decisions that have permanent legal force is mandated obligation; it specifically stated that “if the lawsuit is granted, the State Administrative Officer who issued the State Administrative Ruling is obliged to revoke the State Administrative Ruling that has been declared void by the court,"said Judianto Simanjuntak.

Muhammad Jamil, Dairi residents' lawyer and also a public lawyer from the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM), explained that the implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling is highly critical and urgent for the safety of Dairi residents and the environment. This is in accordance with the consideration of the Panel of Judges of PTUN Jakarta and the Supreme Court that Dairi Regency is a disaster-prone area making it not suitable for mining. In addition to this, in their rulings, the Panel of Judges of the Jakarta State Administrative Court and the Supreme Court emphasized that Silima Pungga-Pungga Sub-district is a functional rice field area that cannot be converted, as indicated by the spatial planning of Dairi Regency based on Dairi Regency Regional Regulation Number 7 of 2014 concerning the Dairi Regency Regional Spatial Plan 2014-2034. The Panel of Judges of PTUN Jakarta and the Supreme Court also emphasized the need to apply the precautionary principles to prevent environmental damage.

Nurleli Sihotang, another Dairi resident's lawyer and also a public lawyer from the North Sumatera Institute for Law Consultation and Advocacy (BAKUMSU), said that the momentum of Earth Day should be a starting point for the Jakarta Administrative Court to immediately issue a statement declaring the legally enforceable ruling for the continuity of the functional services and the nature's preservation.

THE LEGAL TEAM OF TOLAK TAMBANG JOINT SECRETARIAT, acting as the legal counsel/representative of Dairi residents, calls for the Jakarta Administrative Court as a judicial institution trying the lawsuit of Dairi residents on the environmental feasibility of PT DPM to not only play the roles of trying, hearing, and ruling the case, but also to ensure that the decision is executed by State Administrative officials as public officials, in this regard the Ministry of Environment / Environmental Control Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. The execution of the Supreme Court's ruling is essential for providing legal certainty and ensuring justice for the Dairi residents. This will reflect the state's commitment to its human rights obligations: to respect ,protect,and fulfill,the rights of the Dairi residents as citizens, stated Nurleli.

Jakarta, 24 April 2025

THE LEGAL TEAM OF TOLAK TAMBANG JOINT SECRETARIAT

Contact:

1. Judianto Simanjuntak : +62 857-7526-0228
2. Muhammad Jamil         : +62 821-5647-0477

Nurleli Sihotang            : +62 852-9693-5035