Last month, U.S. federal authorities and Indonesian environmental organizations convened a workshop designed to equip Indonesian officials with the tools to tackle illegal timber and wildlife trafficking, strengthen international cooperation, and support criminal prosecutions in cases involving animal crush videos, according to the Office of Public Affairs.
The workshop, led by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in collaboration with the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law and the Independent Forest Monitoring Network, provided training to 25 Indonesian law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and judges.
A key focus of the workshop involved educating Indonesian officials about the U.S. Lacey Act, one of the nation’s oldest wildlife protection laws that prohibits the trafficking of illegally obtained wildlife and plants.
Another major topic addressed was the production of animal crush videos — particularly monkey torture videos — in Indonesia that individuals in the United States commissioned, an issue Lady Freethinker has investigated and worked to combat for years.
In 2021, LFT and Action for Primates first uncovered the underground networks devoted to the torture of baby monkeys, identifying a private online group that funded custom abuse videos. Findings from our investigations helped inform the BBC documentary “The Monkey Haters” and were shared with law enforcement worldwide.
Since then, authorities have charged and convicted numerous individuals linked to these groups.
LFT commends the collaboration between the United States and Indonesia and their shared commitment to addressing these transnational crimes against vulnerable wildlife and plant species. As always, we remain dedicated to uncovering abuse and ending the exploitation of animals everywhere.
