Fery's safety in doubt even after his release

Fery's safety in doubt even after his release

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta

Today is the day RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro is set to be
released after almost a year as a Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
hostage but it remains uncertain whether he will be free to
rejoin his wife, Mayawati, and six-year-old son, M. Ferdian Haryo
Santoro.

In a recent telephone interview, Ferry believed his fate
remained uncertain even if the rebels released him.

"I am innocent. I haven't done anything wrong. If the
government or the military are angry with me, I can only ask for
help from all fellow journalists. Please, don't give up trying to
release me."

Fery, born in Purworejo, Central Java, on Feb. 18, 1968, has
been employed by the RCTI television station since 1983. He was
assigned in May last year to Aceh, the same month as the
government's decision to impose martial law in the hot spot.

Working in the field, he was intercepted by the rebels
traveling in the conflict-ridden area of Peuraeulak in East Aceh,
with senior RCTI reporter Sori Ersa Siregar and two local
civilians, Cut Soraya and Cut Farida, the wives of Indonesian Air
Force officers.

One rule of thumb of journalists traveling in conflict areas
is to refuse to give rides to members of warring parties so as to
be considered independent.

Ersa ended up paying for the decision to give the air force
wives a lift with his life, Fery with his freedom.

GAM first accused the two journalists of espionage, but after
a series of interrogations, it declared that Ersa and Fery were
clean.

The guerrillas then demanded a three-day cease fire for the
release of the civilian hostages last year but the demand was
rejected by the military top brass.

What made the case more difficult was that the Indonesian
Military (TNI) authorities viewed the journalists as willing
participants in their own abductions.

The earlier case of William Nessen, a freelance American
journalist who voluntarily joined the Aceh rebels to cover their
perspective did not help matters.

After being stranded in an Aceh rebel camp, Nessen was finally
picked up by the military after he made contact with a local TNI
office. The Aceh martial law administration charged him for visa
violations and he was sentenced to a month in jail.

While Nessen's case was completely dissimilar from Ersa's and
Fery's, just days after their abductions, local police filed
charges against Ersa and Fery of subversion and of taking away
the wives of the Air Force officers without consent from their
husbands.

Ersa was trapped and killed in December in what the military
claimed was a clash between TNI troops and the rebels. Fery was
there when the incident happened and is the only independent
witness to the death of his colleague.

Rumors at the time circulated among troops in Aceh that the
two journalists had assisted the rebels in making documentary
films on GAM activities. Nowadays, another accusation is rife
that Fery is supporting them as radio operator.

The military seems to disregard the fact that hostages have no
rights to exercise their free will.

As a citizen, Fery should have the privilege of the state's
protection.