Along with the wave of radicalization of the political climate since 2016, anarchism has become the spearhead of the grassroots movement in Indonesia, which is gaining strength especially among students, the urban poor and farmers. Confrontation with the state and capital resulted in many anarchists and antiauthoritarians being imprisoned or criminalized.
The Prisoners Union (Serikat Tahanan) is a political organisation of anti-authoritarian prisoners in Indonesia. Officially assembled on July 17 2023, Serikat Tahanan was founded by the initiatives of six inmates from six correctional institutions in Indonesia. Now, Serikat Tahanan represents eleven detainees ranging from arsoning cases labelled as terrorism, vandalism for incitement to riots, and marijuana and other types of drug use. Membership will continue to grow as the organization in prison continues and tries to reach workers, farmers and human rights activists who are criminalized.
Serikat Tahanan is aimed at strengthening solidarity and empowering prisoners, fighting for prisoners’ rights and a long term agenda of prison abolition. Serikat Tahanan operates with a dual structure, namely members of the union (prisoners) where decision-making is taken, and a solidarity group outside that supports needs and carries out work that can’t be done from inside the prison.
In accordance with the organisational status agreed upon by the detainees, Serikat Tahanan was formed with the aim of:
a. Advocating cases of violence, extortion, and other threats that union members have experienced while serving prison sentences;
b. Campaigning for the movement and struggle for prisoners’ rights in accordance with the Minister of Law and Human Rights and other international regulations;
c. Campaigning for decriminalisation and abolition of prisons;
d. Organising prisoner education through discussions and.providing books on a regular basis to the prisons; e. Forming a media that publishes the aspirations of prisoners and determines the direction of prisoners movement;
f. Solidarity with all class war prisoners and social activists who are criminalized:
g. Organising masses in a detention centre/prison, if necessary.
Description: