Fri, 01 Aug 2003

'Press freedom still not respected'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the iron fist of the New Order regime has ended, rights violations and the repression of the press continues in various forms, ranging from intimidation and sexual harassment to physical threats and has also led to the murder of press members.

The National Commission on Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) team to monitor the freedom of the press disclosed on Wednesday that the police had failed to curb the violent incidents even though complaints had been filed by press institutions.

"Violence against journalists occurs not just in conflict-torn areas such as Aceh and Papua, but also in other places," the chairman of the team, Anshari Thayib, said.

Referring to several cases of violence against the press, the team said that it would review press law No. 40/1999 to ensure that journalists were free in their provision of educative news to the people.

The cases included the present restrictions imposed by military authorities on the coverage of the ongoing war in Aceh province, and the recent assault of Tempo reporters and an editor by angry protesters inside the Central Jakarta police station.

"Fanaticism sometimes motivates people to attack the media," said Anshari, referring to the attack on Radar Malang daily by the Arema Malang soccer club's fans, and the intimidation of Rakyat Merdeka daily's freedom of press in 1999. He said police had failed to take action against the perpetrators.

The police were also criticized following the recent attack on the Tempo (magazine) office by about 200 people claiming to represent Tommy Winata, a businessman widely known for his close relations with high ranking officers of the military and police.

The team recorded that some 274 cases of violence against the press had taken place between 1996 and 2003, including the unsolved murder of Fuad "Udin" Muhammad Syafrudin, a journalist from the Yogyakarta-based Bernas daily on Aug. 13, 1996.

"Some 144 cases involved physical threats, 110 cases the intimidation of (journalists) freedom, one case, sexual harassment and the remaining 19 cases other violent acts," Anshari said.

Anshari further said that the team would reopen the investigation into the killing of Udin after more than seven years because of new evidence, including the testimonies of his colleagues. The evidence allegedly implicates state officials, including the then Bantul regent Col. Sri Roso Sudarmo and police officers.

The perpetrators were never brought to justice, the Yogyakarta district court dropped the case against the only suspect, Dwi Sumadji, and he was released because the affair between Udin and Dwi's wife (that allegedly led to the death of the journalist) was never proven.