The following is an 18 April 2000 letter to Lieutenant General Roesdiharjo, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) – Jakarta Office, of which AJI is a member: 18 April, 2000 His Excellency Lieutenant General (Police) Roesdiharjo National Police Chief Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia Via Fax: 62 21 720 7277 Your Excellency, […]
The following is an 18 April 2000 letter to Lieutenant General Roesdiharjo, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) – Jakarta Office, of which AJI is a member:
18 April, 2000
His Excellency Lieutenant General (Police) Roesdiharjo
National Police Chief
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Via Fax: 62 21 720 7277
Your Excellency,
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Jakarta Office is deeply alarmed over the violent acts recently committed against Hoesin Kalahapan, senior editor of the Menara tabloid. He was kidnapped and tortured for seven days by unidentified assailants.
On 3 April 2000, Kalahapan was kidnapped by three unidentified men in Jakarta. Afterward, they brought him to an unidentified place and locked the journalist in a room there. During the detention he was tortured. He said that while being detained, his face and stomach were badly beaten, and he was also hung upside down. According to Kalahapan he could not recognize the assailants because for a week he was blindfolded. After seven days of being held, he was finally released on 10 April.
This violence was the third attack on Hoesin Kalahapan since the publication of his controversial article exposing a corruption case involving the misuse of forestry funds in East Kalimantan province, valued at Rupiah 27, 5 billion. The article appeared in the January edition of the Menara tabloid. On 21 February, he was kidnapped for one hour by assailants who assaulted him and threatened to harm his pregnant wife and children. Moreover on 9 March, he was kidnapped again for one hour. He was beaten and threatened with death before finally being released.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defence of our colleagues and the promotion of press freedom, we condemn these attacks in the strongest possible language because they point to the deterioration of the state of press freedom in Indonesia. We are sure you will agree that journalists should be able to carry out their professional duties without fear of harassment and attack, and that such incidents foster a climate of fear that inhibits journalistic investigation and can promote self censorship.
We respectfully call on you to ensure that the investigations that have begun into the attacks against Hoesin Kalahapan be carried out swiftly and that those responsible for the attacks are brought to justice. We also ask you to guarantee the safety of the journalists and his family. Together with other media advocacy groups worldwide, we have closely monitored this case with great concern and look forward to your prompt response.
Respectfully yours
Lukas Luwarso
Director of SEAPA Jakarta
Solahudin
Coordinator of Advocacy
Recommended Action
Similar appeals can be sent to:
His Excellency Lieutenant General (Police) Roesdiharjo
National Police Chief
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Fax: +62 21 720 7277
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