WE STAND WITH PADANG HALABAN: Stop Evictions in Padang Halaban and Respect Human Rights
To:
- The Head of Rantau Prapat District Court, Labuhan Batu
- The Chief of North Sumatra Regional Police, Medan
- The National Commission on Human Rights (KOMNAS HAM), Jakarta
- The Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Jakarta
- The Chief of the Indonesian National Police (KAPOLRI), Jakarta
Respectfully,
The Civil Society Solidarity Coalition for the Padang Halaban Peasants Group (KTPH-S) – comprising various civil society organisations, peasants, labourers, students, academics, and elements of the Indonesian people’s movement – hereby expresses its rejection of the land grabs for the people of KTPHS, Aek Kuo District, North Labuhan Batu Regency, North Sumatra, on 28 January 2026. The following points are urged to be considered to halt the execution:
First, the land grabs constitute a violation of Human Rights (HAM). The Padang Halaban and Surrounding Farmers Group (KTPH-S) were victims of forced displacement, violence, and intimidation between 1969 and 1970. As established, forced eviction is a form of gross human rights violation, specifically a crime against humanity, as stipulated in Law No. 26 of 2000 concerning Human Rights Courts. Following those evictions, KTPHS is currently in conflict with PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) Tbk in Padang Halaban and faces discrimination in accessing land as a source of livelihood. If the execution proceeds, the social and economic impact will be devastating for the KTPHS community. Forced eviction results in the loss of livelihoods and threatens local food security, repeating the human rights violations previously endured by the community.
Second, the Land Concession (HGU) expired on April 22, 2024. Meanwhile, the community has used this land as a source of livelihood to build food security for their families and the surrounding community for 17 years. Legal issues are threatening 300 households with eviction. The residents do not fully understand these issues and lack the resources to deal with them. The residents have claimed roughly 3,000 hectares, but they currently occupy and manage only 83 hectares.
Land should be preserved for the people, not corporations. The land control by PT SMART Tbk is a blatant violation of the principles of social justice, land rights, and agrarian laws designed to protect the people. Law No. 5 of 1960 regarding the Basic Agrarian Principles (UUPA) guarantees land rights for the people and mandates that the state’s right to control land must be used for the greatest prosperity of the people.
Third, the land targeted for execution is an Agrarian Reform Priority Location (LPRA), which has been officially recognised and signed by the Minister of Forestry (Mr. Raja Juli Antoni, Ph.D.), the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (Mr. Nusron Wahid, S.S., M.Si.), and the Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Dr. Yandri Susanto, S.Pt., M.Si.), as well as several Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives (DPR RI).
The Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) has been clear in its proposal of LPRA sites since 2017, identifying 865 villages as priority locations, covering an area of 1,762,577 hectares. The land managed by KTPHS in Aek Kuo District is a priority area for resolving agrarian conflicts, as set out in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 62 of 2023 on the Acceleration of Agrarian Reform Implementation. Consequently, on October 2, 2025, the DPR RI formed a Special Committee (Pansus) to resolve agrarian conflicts. As part of the LPRA, the government must focus on resolving structural conflicts, restructuring land ownership inequality, and guaranteeing land rights for people who cultivate the land.
We submit this statement of rejection for your consideration. We hope you will weigh these demands wisely and stand on the side of justice for the KTPH-S community.
The world is watching.
Medan, January 25, 2026I
In solidarity:
- Kelompok Tani Padang Halaban dan Sekitarnya (KTPHS)
- Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KontraS) Sumatera Utara
- Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria (KPA) Sumatera Utara
- Perempuan Hari Ini
- Pusat Studi dan Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas Negeri Medan (PUSHAM UNIMED)
- Sajogyo Institute
- Aliansi Masyarakat Anti Penyiksaan (SIKAP)
- IPT 65 Sumatera Utara;
- Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Sumatera Utara
- Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA)
- Gabungan Serikat Buruh Indonesia (GSBI)
- Agrarian Resource Center (ARC)
- Front Mahasiswa Nasional (FMN)
- Serikat Mahasiswa Progresif (SEMPRO)
- Serikat Buruh Industri Pertambangan Dan Energi (SBIPE – MOROWALI
- Transnational Palm Oil Labour Solidarity (TPOLS)
- Badan Pekerja Nasional Kesatuan Perjuangan Rakyat (BPN KPR)
- Serikat Mahasiswa Indonesia Cabang Bima
- Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KontraS)
- Jaringan JAGA DECA (Sulawesi)
- Forum Petani Plasma Buol (Sul-Teng)
- Pusaka Bentala Rakyat
- Lingkaran Advokasi & Riset (Link-AR Borneo)
- Federasi Buruh Transportasi Pelabuhan Indonesia (FBTPI – KPBI)
- Koalisi Buruh Sawit (KBS)
- Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ)
- Front Mahasiswa Nasional (FMN)
- Komunitas TEDUH
- Aksi Kamisan Medan
- Klub Studi Sosio Legal FH USU
- Aliansi Kemarahan Rakyat dan Buruh Sumatera Utara (AKBAR SUMUT)
- Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Advokasi Rakyat Sumatera Utara (BAKUMSU)
- Gerakan Pemuda Marhaenis (GPM) Labuhanbatu.
- DPC GMNILabuhan Batu
- Serikat Pekerja Angkutan Indonesia (SPAI)
- Serikat Mahasiswa Indonesia (SMI)
- Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam FIS Universitas Negeri Medan
- Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam Universitas Medan Area
- Serikat Pekerja Sawit Indonesia (SEPASI)
For organizations or individuals who are willing to show solidarity to stop the evictions and land grabbing in Padang Halaban, please continue to add your organization/individual name to the following letter link:
Letter of Solidarity for the People of Padang Halaban