The plaintiffs are on their way to the main hearing in Zug together with their lawyer. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto in the main hearing in the hall of the cantonal parliament of Zug.
The plaintiffs Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto leave the parliament building after the main hearing together with their lawyer, Cordelia Bähr. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
After the main hearing, the media interest in the plaintiffs and their lawyer is high. (Foto: Nina Burri)
Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto in front of the cantonal parliament of Zug, where the Cantonal Court was meeting for the main hearing. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
The plaintiffs meet parliamentarians Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini and Manuela Weichelt in Bern. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
Ibu Asmania tells an interested legal audience about her commitment to climate justice. (Foto: Matisse Le Strat)
Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto design a wall with street art in Zurich. (Foto: Matisse Le Strat)
Ibu Asmania reports from Pari Island at a panel in the Volkshaus Zurich. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto discuss with Roda Verheyen, Franziska Ryser and Johannes Wendland. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
The plaintiffs visit the Aletsch Glacier. (Foto: Daniel Rihs)
Decision draws closer
The main hearing in the climate litigation brought by four Indonesian fishers against the Swiss cement company Holcim ended today, Wednesday 3 September 2025, at the Cantonal Court of Zug without a decision having been reached. Whether the plaintiffs will receive the requested legal protection and thus access to climate justice is a question that remains open for the time being. They are demanding compensation from Holcim for the climate damage they have suffered, financial participation in flood protection measures and the rapid reduction of CO2 emissions. It is not clear when the court will communicate its decision.
Fight for justice
Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, which is destroying the livelihoods of the people on Indonesia’s Pari Island. The Swiss cement corporation Holcim bears a substantial degree of responsibility for this due to its high CO2-emissions. Four residents are now demanding justice on behalf of the island: they have filed a lawsuit against Holcim in Switzerland. They are seeking compensation for damages already sustained and are urging the Carbon Major to reduce its CO2 emissions rapidly. They are also demanding that Holcim assume some of the cost of measures to protect Pari Island from rising sea levels.
Climate change is causing a sea-level rise, which is destroying the livelihoods of the people on Indonesia’s Pari Island. The Swiss cement corporation Holcim bears a substantial degree of responsibility for this. Four residents are now demanding justice: they have filed a complaint against Holcim in Switzerland. They are seeking compensation for damages already sustained and are urging the carbon major to reduce its CO2 emissions rapidly. They are also demanding that Holcim assume some of the costs of measures to protect Pari Island from the sea-level rise.
This will mark the first time that a Swiss corporation will be held legally accountable for its role in climate change. HEKS/EPER, the Indonesian environmental organization WALHI, and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) are supporting the “Call for Climate Justice” made by the people of Pari in their quest for greater climate justice.
Concrete – the climate killer
Concrete is the world's most important building material and at the same time its most ``destructive material``. Indeed, the manufacture of cement, the base material for concrete, accounts for 8 per cent of all CO2 emissions worldwide.
Courageous commitment
Ibu Asmania, Arif Pujianto, Edi Mulyono and Pak Bobby, four residents of Pari Island, are taking Holcim to court. Read their personal stories.