Vienna/Indonesia, 7 April, 2022 – A dog trafficker in Indonesia involved in the supply and slaughter of dogs for human consumption has been found guilty of breaking the law and sentenced to a record 17 months in jail. Despite a national government declaration that dogs are not considered food in Indonesia, this is only the country’s second conviction of a dog trafficker.

Campaigners from the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition hope it signals a new determination by the authorities to crack down on the cruel and dangerous trade.

DMFI who attended the police interception at the slaughterhouse and took all surviving dogs into their care, welcomed the conviction for sending the strongest signal yet to dog traders across Indonesia that the dog meat business is illegal and will be punished.

The record conviction of Guruh Tri Susilo follows a police interception last year of a truck carrying more than 50 terrified dogs as they arrived at a makeshift slaughterhouse in Sukoharjo. The owner of the slaughterhouse is awaiting trial, with a sentence reading expected at the end of April.

This comes at a time where Indonesia is the political limelight by having the Presidency of the G20 and hosting the 17^th annual event later this year in Bali.

In recognition of the grave risks to animal welfare and public health and safety, an ever-growing number of cities and regencies in Central Java have taken the matter into their own hands passing local regulations explicitly prohibiting the dog meat trade throughout their jurisdictions, including Sukoharjo and the Central Javan provincial capital of Semarang. Campaigners hope that this case will shine a light on the dog meat trade and encourage central, provincial, regency and city leaders to take stronger action.