Soldier athlete attacks Papua journalist<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua<\/p>\n
Dozens of journalists here on Friday condemned an attack on
\nfellow reporter Irwanto by a national athlete in Papua province,
\nand urged the attacker to be dealt with firmly.<\/p>\n
The protesters staged a rally at the Papua office of the
\nNational Sports Council (KONI) and demanded that the athlete be
\narrested and taken to court.<\/p>\n
Irwanto, who works for the Cendrawasih Pos daily, was beaten
\non Wednesday by Ismail Sroyer, who is a discus thrower as well as
\nan Army soldier, at the KONI office in the provincial capital of
\nJayapura.<\/p>\n
Ismail suddenly attacked Irwanto when the reporter was
\ncovering a training session held by local discus throwers,
\ninjuring Irwanto him the face and head.<\/p>\n
Irwanto reported the case to KONI Papua executive chairman
\nKoos Urbinas, who asked the two to settle the matter amicably.<\/p>\n
But minutes after Koos left his room, Ismail again attacked
\nIrwanto, kicking him and hitting him in the face, head and arms.<\/p>\n
The attack was allegedly triggered by an article written by
\nIrwanto and published in the Cendrawasih Pos on an attempted rape
\ncase involving a youth at Mandala Field, which hosts athletes
\ntraining as part of National Sports Week. Shortly after the
\nreport's publication, Jayapura Police arrested a man over
\nattempted rape.<\/p>\n
Although the article did not mention any names, Ismail was
\napparently offended by the report, as it identified the location
\nwhere the attempted rape occurred.<\/p>\n
Cendrawasih Pos chief editor Joko Suhendro slammed the beating
\nas an "arrogant act" that belittled the journalistic profession.<\/p>\n
Ismail may be charged with Article 351 of the Criminal Code on
\nassault, according to the newspaper's lawyer Hendrik Tomasoa.<\/p>\n
Harsh criticisms were also issued by Frits Ramandey of the
\nPapua branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and
\nUsman Fakaubun of the local Indonesian Journalists Association
\n(PWI).<\/p>\n
Koos, who received the protesting journalists, said he had
\nleft the matter in the hands of legal authorities and hoped the
\nincident would not damage ties between athletes and journalists
\nin Papua. He said the case was being handled by the Trikora
\nmilitary police command in Jayapura.<\/p>\n
However, when the journalists tried to seek confirmation about
\nthe legal process from Trikora spokesman Col. Rustaman Henry
\nPramono, about 10 soldiers blocked them from entering Rustaman's
\noffice. The move drew the attention from Muslims on their way to
\na nearby mosque for Friday prayers and caused a traffic jam.<\/p>\n
"Don't stage a demonstration at the military office
\nheadquarters," a soldier yelled at the journalists.<\/p>\n
In the end, the Trikora command representatives allowed only
\ntwo of the journalists were to meet Trikora representatives.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soldier-athlete-attacks-papua-journalist-1447893297",
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