Dozens of Pari Island residents under the Care Pari Island Forum (FPPP) held a protest in front of the North Jakarta District Court on Monday to demand that judges release all charges against Sulaiman, who was accused by PT Bumi Pari Asri of trespassing land owned by the company to build a homestay to be rented to tourists.

The coordinator of the protest, Zulkifli, urged the judges “to take a just position by siding with Pari Island residents”.

He said that Sulaiman's case was the third case of criminalization that was used to intimidate residents into giving up their land on the island located in the Thousand Islands regency. In 2017, three fishermen on the island were accused of charging illegal fees, while a year before, a fisherman was accused of trespassing, he added.

A hearing over the issue took place between the company and Sulaiman on Monday. Overseen by presiding judge Ramses Pasaribu, it presented three eyewitnesses.

Previously, PT Bumi Pari Asri used 62 land certificates and 14 building permits to claim around 90 percent of the land on Pari Island.

In April, the acting head of the Jakarta Ombudsman office, Dominikus Dalu, said the issuance of the permits needed to be evaluated as the agency found cases of maladministration.