Victims of the devastating Sumatra floods and landslides are taking an unprecedented step, filing a citizen lawsuit against several ministers and even President Prabowo Subianto. This bold legal action seeks to hold them accountable for the ecological disaster that struck the Sumatra region late last year.
The lawsuit, initiated by seven individuals comprising both disaster victims and environmental activists, has been formally lodged against a formidable list of defendants. These include the President of Indonesia, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency, the Minister of Environment, the Minister of Forestry, and the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). This significant legal challenge is being pursued through the mechanism of a citizen lawsuit.
Muhammad Qodrat from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Banda Aceh clarified the essence of this legal action, explaining that a citizen lawsuit is a legal mechanism empowering citizens to sue the government for its alleged negligence in fulfilling their fundamental rights. “There are legal obligations that the government ought to have fulfilled, but failed to do so,” Qodrat stated during a meeting in Jakarta on Friday, May 8th.
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Qodrat elaborated that each of the five defendant parties is accused of negligence within their respective capacities. The lawsuit targets the President specifically for his failure to promptly declare a national disaster status for the events that tragically claimed over 1,200 lives. The legal team asserts that the Sumatra disaster unequivocally meets all criteria required for it to be designated a national disaster. “Consequently, disaster management on the ground became sluggish and hindered due to limited regional resources,” Qodrat explained. “It would be an entirely different scenario if the central government had intervened directly.”
Meanwhile, three ministers—the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency, the Minister of Environment, and the Minister of Forestry—are being sued for alleged negligence in the oversight, control, and enforcement of environmental laws pertaining to natural resource utilization. This alleged lapse, the plaintiffs argue, significantly exacerbated the ecological disaster across Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra.
Furthermore, the Head of the BNPB faces accusations of failing to establish an adequate disaster early warning system and, crucially, for not adequately responding to the early warnings issued by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) prior to the catastrophe. “BMKG had already issued a warning that this significant cyclone would pass over Sumatra. This should have served as a basis for BNPB to implement early warnings and mitigation measures, but it was not done,” Qodrat lamented.
It is crucial to note that through this citizen lawsuit mechanism, the plaintiffs are not seeking monetary compensation. Instead, their primary objective is to compel the government to implement specific policies and actions as a demonstration of its accountability. In their specific demands, known as the petitum, the plaintiffs urge the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Forestry to conduct and publicly release the results of a comprehensive environmental audit of all concession areas within the three affected provinces. These two ministers are also tasked with rehabilitating the devastated forest areas. Concurrently, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency is requested to revise spatial planning to integrate robust disaster mitigation strategies. Beyond these points, the plaintiffs demand that all defendants revoke both illegal concession permits and those that violate environmental governance standards.
For the President, the plaintiffs persistently press for the immediate declaration of a national disaster status, deeming it essential for the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction phases. “When the government declares a national disaster status, all funding and operational mechanisms automatically fall under the direct command of the central government,” Qodrat elaborated. “We anticipate that this would significantly accelerate recovery efforts compared to relying solely on provincial disaster status.” The government is, therefore, urged to unlock access to the State Budget (APBN) and fully allocate post-disaster recovery funds. Furthermore, the Head of the BNPB is specifically called upon to establish an integrated and transparent early warning system, crucial for preventing similar catastrophic events in the future.
Notification Sent Before Legal Action Commenced
Qodrat detailed that the mechanism of a citizen lawsuit mandates a notification or formal warning be sent to the prospective defendants before the actual complaint is filed with the Administrative Court (PTUN). These notifications were dispatched to each defendant between December 12-15, 2025, approximately two weeks after the disaster. “The government or the recipients of the notification had a 60-day window to fulfill our demands,” Qodrat stated. These demands mirrored the petitum ultimately presented to the PTUN. “Even if 60 days wasn’t sufficient, at the very least, they should have responded,” Qodrat added, expressing disappointment. Given the complete absence of any response or action to address these demands within the allotted timeframe, the citizens, alongside their legal advocacy team, officially registered their lawsuit on Thursday, May 7th. It is important to note that, in accordance with existing regulations, plaintiffs are allowed 90 days to file a lawsuit after the notification period concludes.
This isn’t the first instance of a lawsuit utilizing this legal mechanism. A similar citizen lawsuit was previously filed by a coalition of civil society organizations regarding air pollution in Jakarta. In 2021, the Central Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in that landmark case. However, the Justice for Sumatra Advocacy Team acknowledges that the outcome of this current lawsuit may not necessarily mirror past successes. Nevertheless, they emphasize that pursuing this legal avenue is a crucial step to demand government accountability and to assert this fundamental right of citizens. “Perhaps following this citizen lawsuit, we may proceed with a civil lawsuit,” Qodrat revealed. “We might then target not only the state but also specific companies we deem responsible.”
Summary
Victims and environmental activists have initiated a citizen lawsuit against President Prabowo Subianto and several cabinet ministers, alleging negligence in response to the devastating floods and landslides in Sumatra. The plaintiffs argue that the government failed to declare a national disaster status, lacked effective environmental oversight, and neglected to implement crucial early warning systems despite prior alerts from the BMKG. They contend that this governmental inaction hindered emergency efforts and exacerbated the catastrophic loss of over 1,200 lives.
Through this legal action, the plaintiffs are not seeking monetary compensation but are instead demanding policy reforms and concrete accountability measures. They urge the government to conduct comprehensive environmental audits, revoke illegal land concessions, integrate disaster mitigation into spatial planning, and unlock state funds for reconstruction. Having received no response to their formal notifications sent in December 2025, the citizens filed the lawsuit to compel the state to fulfill its obligations and prevent future ecological tragedies.
