Minister of Human Rights' Special Staff: Press Freedom is a Fundamental Right

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Special Staff (Stafsus) to the Minister of Human Rights Thomas Harming Suwarta has emphasised that press freedom is a fundamental right, thus the state is obligated to ensure its respect, protection, enforcement, advancement, and fulfilment.

“Press freedom is truly a fundamental right; therefore, together—both the government and society—we must continue to promote a free, independent press ecosystem that remains the voice of public interests, and of course, also drive the advancement of human rights and democracy in Indonesia,” Thomas said in Jakarta on Sunday.

This was stated by Thomas while participating in a fun walk with media professionals and the public to commemorate World Press Freedom Day 2026 in Jakarta.

“Mainstream media that have long operated with strict journalistic standards are expected to continue growing with increasingly better quality. The emergence of many new forms of media, which we cannot avoid, will drive our press to continually improve its quality,” he explained.

Thomas himself emphasised that the Ministry of Human Rights has a strong commitment to ensuring that press freedom in Indonesia continues to grow. Free, healthy, and quality media will thrive in an ecosystem of human rights respect.

“If our human rights are increasingly better, then our press freedom will automatically improve as well. The Prabowo administration, which provides important space for human rights development, automatically provides space for press freedom. This is beyond doubt,” he asserted.

“Mainstreaming human rights in Indonesia requires the involvement of journalists and the media. The Ministry of Human Rights is opening wide spaces for that. In the near future, we will hold special human rights classes for journalists. Besides helping with human rights literacy for journalists, this is also in the framework of ensuring the protection of journalists’ human rights,” Thomas stated.

Meanwhile, Press Council Chairman Komaruddin Hidayat said the fun walk event with press professionals serves as a momentum to strengthen the commitment to upholding journalistic principles.

“This fun walk with press colleagues and the Press Council, for us, provides an atmosphere of inner warmth, closeness, and also a commitment that the press is increasingly existent in upholding press principles, objectivity, professionalism, and ethics,” Komaruddin said.