'Press freedom still not respected'
'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.