NGOs protest arrests, demand freedom of press
NGOs protest arrests, demand freedom of press
JAKARTA (JP): About 50 activists from 23 non-governmental
organizations marched to the House of Representatives yesterday
to protest the arrest of journalists and to demand greater
freedom of the press.
Waving banners and shouting slogans, the demonstrators
demanded the release of two Alliance of Independent Journalists
(AJI) reporters and an office assistant of the organization.
The three were arrested last week for publishing an
underground newsletter, Independen, which is critical of the
government.
Under Indonesian law, all publications need official permits.
The demonstrators also protested the recent raid on the office
of Pijar Foundation and the ban of its newsletter Kabar dari
Pijar. They also condemned the banning of Suara Mitra periodical
published by the Kalyanamitra Foundation.
They said the police are still detaining two Pijar activists
on charges of sowing hatred of the government.
They were met by legislators from the Indonesian Democratic
Party, Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, Sabam Sirait and Royani
Haminullah.
"We protest the banning of Kabar Dari Pijar and Suara Mitra
and the detention of journalists and activists," said Agustiana,
one of the protesters calling themselves Indonesian Solidarity
for Press Liberation.
Activist Munif Laredo argued that the newsletters supplement
mainstream licensed media and are needed by the public to express
their opinions.
"The government cannot just turn a deaf ear to what people say
by closing the newsletters down," he said.
The legislators reiterated that the minority party supports
freedom of the press and loathes the closure of media, like the
government's closure of Tempo, Editor and DeTIK last year.
Protests against the detention of journalists and activists as
well as raids on NGO headquarters have also come from foreign
non-governmental organizations.
Thirteen Asian women activists from different organizations
have lodged protest to the Indonesian government on the various
incidents.
Urged
They urged the government of Indonesia to respect and
recognize the rights of citizens to the freedom of expression and
freedom to organize as mandated in the Indonesian Constitution.
Chairman of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy,
Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, yesterday lodged a protest with the
Police Chief against what he called "illegal arrests."
On Monday, spokesman for the Armed Forces defended the
police's action against AJI activists, saying that the arrest was
legal.
"If the police find the activists had done something in
violation of the law, they will be `processed'", he said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Journalists' Association (PWI), the only
journalist organization sanctioned by the government, said that
it has withdrawn its recommendation for Goenawan Mohamad to
become chief editor of the Swa Sembada economic magazine.
Secretary of the Jakarta chapter of PWI Marah Sakti Siregar
said that the withdrawal of the recommendation was "only the
logical consequence" of its firing Goenawan, a former Tempo chief
editor, from its membership last week.
Siregar also said that Fikri Jufri, a former senior editor of
Tempo whose PWI membership has also been withdrawn, will lose his
job as the chief editor of Matra trend magazine in near future.
Fikri will be replaced by N. Riantiarno. (29)