Each day Fery is held assaults press freedom

Negotiations on the release of hostages being held by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), including RCTI television cameraman Fery Santoro, are still ongoing. On Jan. 16 the Press Council and several media organizations issued a petition to urge the release of Fery and other hostages. A seminar was hosted thereafter by RCTI and included the President of the International Federation of Journalists, Christopher Warren. The following are excerpts of his interview:

Question: Could you describe your visit here?

Answer: There are two reasons for my visit (Jan. 18-20); the first is to send a clear message to all parties involved in the (planned) release of the hostages, that the continued holding of Fery is an immediate concern of journalists worldwide. The second is to provide solidarity to all colleagues and family of Fery. I've met with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and also those from RCTI, in addition to government representatives.

Those meetings have reinforced the perception that after too long a delay now real action is being taken by the government to create safe circumstances for the release of the hostages.

We welcome the progress being made and now there are the obligations on all the parties involved; the obligation of GAM to release the hostages and the obligation of the government, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) to enable the hostages' safe release; we hope that continued negotiations will result in their early release.

What motivates the hostage taking of media workers?

They are taken to influence reporting. Every day that Fery is being held is an assault on press freedom.

The focus now is rightly on the release of Fery but we cannot forget the very sad death of (his colleague) Ersa Siregar (on Dec. 29). IFJ believes that whenever a journalist is killed, an independent international inquiry is needed, not only to uncover the truth, but also by investigating the circumstances into the death, we can strive to make it safer for journalists in conflict areas. IFJ Secretary General Aiden White met with the ICRC Secretary General in Geneva last week, saying that ICRC shares the responsibility of an investigation (into the death of Ersa). What have been similar situations in other countries?

Journalists have increasingly been a target in conflict areas. Taking them hostage can be a first step to murder as in the case of Daniel Perle in Pakistan. It could be an attempt to force the media to report in a particular way. Hostage taking could also be a simple criminal act to extort media companies.

The good news is that the longer the journalist is held the more likely that he is safe, as in the case of John McCarthy of the Associated Press who was held in Lebanon for four years in the 1980s until he emerged unharmed.

The greatest danger is the short period after being taken hostage and the period of release.

All hostage taking of journalists reinforces the experience that when journalists are taken hostage they are not at the wrong place at the wrong time -- but the hostage taking of them is a deliberate attempt to suppress press freedom. The taking of Ersa and Fery is a first for the Indonesian media, and it has caused great demoralization among journalists. What can media organizations do in this situation?

The worst thing about hostage taking of media workers is that it does work in restricting the media. Our key responsibility as journalists is to do everything we can to prevent it. It's hard but we must continue to broadcast and write (about the conflict situation) independently.

Also, the press must be aware of the dangers and this requires proper training for covering conflict zones.

Third, we must continue to report attacks on journalists so people are aware that the information we bring to them is carried out with such risks, so that (ensuring the ability to continue to do this) also becomes a public responsibility.

It has always been a difficult decision whether to take a low- key approach or create as much publicity as possible in (instances of hostage taking of media workers). In the case of Dan Perle we took the high publicity approach as we knew he was in danger of being killed; though he was killed in the end, a low key approach might not have worked either ... The Geneva Convention says conflicting parties must protect non- combatants yet there are no penalties for violators. How could the Convention be more effective?

The past 12 months has demonstrated the weakness of the Convention as we've seen many unnecessary deaths of media workers. The good thing about the Convention is that it mentions that civilians should not be made targets and this includes journalists ...

Important changes are needed in the Convention including better recognition of journalists. In the past five or six years combatants have said that media people are a propaganda tool of the enemy (and so justifies them being targeted). Tragically, this view has been pushed by leading democracies; it justified NATO's attack on Belgrade's television tower in the Kosovo war. Israel attacked the Palestine broadcasting authority and the U.S. targeted Iraqi radio and television in Iraq.

So a change is needed regarding the particular status of journalists.

Another change is the need for a proper system of investigation (of violation of the Convention). Now it is only combating countries who can ask for investigations. On the attack of journalists in Iraq (in last year's war) only the U.S. could make such a request for an inquiry which is unlikely; and in the case of Ersa, only the government of Indonesia could make such a request, which also seems unlikely.

So the change needed would be the right of broader parties, such as media organizations like IFJ, to be entitled to request an inquiry into violations of the Convention. In your experience what has been the success rate of ICRC in freeing hostages?

It has had much success, including the release of journalists, with 150 years of experience. We have asked ICRC that they be more active, "active facilitators", in negotiations for the safe release of hostages. Although they are indeed mere facilitators (once disputing parties have agreed on the time and conditions of hostages' release) there is much they can do in negotiations ...