The Central Jakarta District Court has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the asbestos industry association FICMA against public health activists.
Yasa Nata Budi Institute for Consumer Protection (LPKSM) coordinator Leo Yoga Pranata (above, right) stated that this victory ensures the public can access products with clear, complete, and understandable information — essential for assessing health risks independently.
“We are very happy with this verdict. It reinforces that asbestos-based roofing must include a label warning of the health dangers of these products.
“This is clearly a public victory over the profits made by the asbestos industry,” he said.
This lawsuit was lodged after activists scored a historic win in the Indonesian Supreme Court which sought to implement mandatory labelling and hazard warnings for asbestos-based roofing products in Indonesia (Hazards 167).
Following this victory, FICMA lodged the lawsuit against LPKSM Yasa Nata Budi and its activists, claiming they had caused harm to the asbestos industry in Indonesia.
But in the 5 February 2025 district court ruling, the activists won once again.
In his reasoning, Judge Marper Pandiangan said the lawsuit filed by the asbestos manufacturer’s association and in accordance with Law No.10 of 2013 regarding ratification of the Rotterdam Convention, cannot be decided within its authority.
Such a lawsuit, according to the court, implies a refuting of an earlier Supreme Court decision.
Therefore, the judges of the Central Jakarta District Court held that the court did not have the authority to hear the case.
In an excerpt from the judge’s ruling, he states that the case “cannot be decided by the District Court, because the authority to examine a law and regulation is the authority of the Supreme Court.”
Moh Darisman, the coordinator of the movement to ban asbestos in Indonesia (InaBan), welcomed the ruling.
“This is a legal alignment that ensures that the state has an interest in protecting its citizens from the dangers of asbestos. There is no more reason for anyone, including the trade ministry, not to comply with placing hazard labels on every asbestos roofing,” he said.
The campaign was supported by the occupational safety organisation LION, unions and the ACTU-backed Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, with free legal support from Australian law firm Maurice Blackburn.
The decision was made by Chief Judge Marper Pandiangan in case No.417/Pdt.G/2024/PN Jkt.Pst on 5 February 2025 in the Central Jakarta District Court.