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On the evening of May 1, Sarta bin Sarim, a packing worker and chairman of the local union at a furniture plant in Indonesia, was arrested. Police charged him with organizing the May Day rally that was held earlier that day in Jakarta.

The rally was organized by a coalition of local unions that did not include Sarta’s local. Sarta participated in the demonstration, which was conducted peacefully, returned to his workplace, and then went home where police was waiting for him.

At the police station he was beaten, forced to sign a false confession, and detained. The police arrested nine other workers on the same night and intimidated them into signing reports stating that Sarta organized the rally. After they complied, these other workers were released.

In addition to abusing and detaining him, the Indonesian government violated the International Labor Organization Convention agreement on human rights, which it had signed in 2005, by depriving Sarta of his right to legal defense. The Federation of Construction, Informal, and General Workers Union (FKUI–SBSI), with which Sarta’s union is affiliated, has been negotiating for his release, but Sarta remains in prison.

Please sign a protest letter to Indonesia government about the detention of Sarta Bin Sarim either at the Solidarity site or at LabourStart. You can also send a protest letter via fax to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at 62-21-380-5511 or Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Erman Suparno at 62-21-525-6559.

Expiration Date:
Fri, 08/31/2007 - 11:59pm