Indonesian land rights activist Hermanus Bin Bison, was arrested on 17 February, 2020, in Penyan Village in Central Kalimantan with another activist for harvesting palm oil fruit from land that his community claims. He died in custody on 26th April, 2020, after being denied medical treatment.

Hermanus was detained after a complaint from the palm oil company PT Hamparan Masawit Bangun Persada (HMBP), an affiliate of the BEST Group, that has been accused of stealing the community’s land. The community has repeatedly protested against the company for conducting an illegal operation outside its concession agreement since 2006, yet the allegations against the company have never been investigated, and the company has never received any legal sanction from the local or central government.

Hermanus was kept in a small jail cell with other inmates even after a doctor found he had a high fever and an abnormal loss of strength. Requests from his family for legal counsel and access to a medical doctor to enable him to receive adequate healthcare while in detention, and to relocate him to a proper facility, were denied.

The courts also forced Hermanus, who was already suffering from an illness prior to his detention, to be present at the trial in a wheelchair while his health continued to deteriorate.

Aryo Nugroho, the farmers’ lawyer and head of the legal aid institute in Palangkaraya, the provincial capital, said Hermanus had suffered ill health throughout his time in detention but had never been given adequate treatment.

Another land and environmental rights defender, James Watt, was arrested on 7 March, 2020, for reporting the Penyang Village case to Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the Victim and Witness Protection Agency (LPSK).