(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 29 September 1999 IFJ press release: **Updates IFEX alerts of 28 September, 23 September, 22 September and 21 September 1999** Media Release September 29th 1999 IFJ Plans Mission as Second Journalist Is Gunned Down in East Timor THE International Federation of Journalists, the world’s largest organisation of journalists, today […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 29 September 1999 IFJ press release:
**Updates IFEX alerts of 28 September, 23 September, 22 September and 21
September 1999**
Media Release
September 29th 1999
IFJ Plans Mission as Second Journalist Is Gunned Down in East Timor
THE International Federation of Journalists, the world’s largest
organisation of journalists, today condemned the shooting on Sunday of Agus
Mulyawan, a local journalist working for the Japanese publication Asia
Press, and announced plans to send a mission to investigate his death and
that of Sander Thoenes, the Dutch freelance journalist working for the
Financial Times and Vrij Nederland who was shot dead by armed men in Dili.
“There is evidence that the Indonesian army was involved in both killings,”
said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary in Brussels. “It is vital that the
international community holds the Indonesian authorities to account for
these brutal murders.”
The death of Agus Mulyawan, who was one of a number of people in a religious
group killed while helping refugees in the mountains, has prompted the IFJ
to renew efforts to send a mission back into East Timor to assist
journalists on the spot and to investigate the deaths.
“We aim to send colleagues from Indonesia, Australia and the Netherlands
into East Timor during next week,” said Aidan White. “Our aim is to gather
what information we can and to ensure that there is no killing of
journalists with impunity. Those responsible must be brought to justice.”
The IFJ established an East Timor Safety Office for journalists with its
Australian and Indonesian affiliate organisations, but the office was
ransacked by militia and closed. The two staff were flown to safety. The IFJ
is now looking at further ways of getting advice and assistance to media and
journalists on the ground.
The killing of Agus Mulyawan brings to more than 40 the number of
journalists and media workers recorded by the IFJ as killed during 1999.
“This is turning out to be one of the worst years on record,” said Aidan
White, “which is why much more must be done to minimise the risks and to
hunt down those who are responsible for these killings.”
The IFJ is the world’s largest organisation of journalists, representing
more than 450,000 journalists in 101 countries.
