(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the recent attack on the Surabaya-based daily newspaper “Jawa Pos” by members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the grassroots Muslim organization that President Abdurrahman Wahid chaired for fifteen years before becoming president of Indonesia. Last Saturday 6 May 2000, some thirty members of Banser, the paramilitary youth wing of […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is deeply disturbed by the recent attack on the Surabaya-based daily newspaper “Jawa Pos” by members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the grassroots Muslim organization that President Abdurrahman Wahid chaired for fifteen years before becoming president of Indonesia.
Last Saturday 6 May 2000, some thirty members of Banser, the paramilitary youth wing
of the influential, thirty-million strong NU, forcibly entered the offices of “Jawa Pos” and threatened staff members, causing them to suspend operations and cancel the paper’s Sunday edition. “We decided not to publish the Sunday edition since we technically and psychologically could not work that night,” said Arief Affandi, the daily’s managing editor.
The Banser members were apparently angered by a 6 May “Jawa Pos” article which
alleged that President Wahid’s government practiced “corruption, collusion and nepotism.” In particular, the article accused leading NU members, including President Wahid and his younger brother, of involvement in corrupt activities.
Following the occupation of its offices, the newspaper apologized for the story, saying it contained factual errors. The newspaper agreed to print seven consecutive apologies in the paper, donate funds to finance the building of a mosque for NU, and investigate the reporters responsible for the story.
Despite the newspaper’s apology, President Wahid then issued a statement that seemed to
support NU’s actions. On Monday 8 May, he claimed that the “Jawa Pos” article was “part of a conspiracy to topple and discredit the government.” The chief executive officer of “Jawa Pos”, Dahlan Iskan, then resigned after denying this allegation.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– expressing alarm that he did not immediately condemn the occupation of the newspaper’s offices
– recalling that on World Press Freedom Day, just three days before the attack on “Jawa Pos”, he pledged to defend the rights of the press, saying, “The Indonesian government has to protect the press from the many forces who do not want freedom”
– noting that mob violence as an instrument of protest against the media constitutes a fundamental threat to press freedom in Indonesia
– recalling that according to research by the Jakarta-based Alliance of Independent Journalists, there have already been twelve incidents of mob pressure against media organizations so far this year
– encouraging his government to condemn the attack on “Jawa Pos” and to call on NU to exercise restraint in its protests against the press
– urging him to use the powers of his office to prevent the public from taking violent action against journalists, reminding him that Indonesian law provides legal redress in cases of alleged libel and defamation
– stating that it would be tragic if public anger were allowed to interfere with the
right of journalists to work without fear of harassment, given the impressive strides Indonesia has made in press freedom since the resignation of former president Suharto two years ago
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:His Excellency Abdurrahman Wahid
President, Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Bina Graha, Jalan Veteran No. 17
Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
Fax: +62 21 778 182Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
