The following is a 1 March 2000 press release by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) – Jakarta Office, of which AJI is a member: Malang: Journalists harassed by Minister of Law and Legislation 1 March 2000 The Southeast Asian Press Alliance-Jakarta Office is deeply concerned by the recent harassment of journalists who were thrown […]
The following is a 1 March 2000 press release by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) – Jakarta Office, of which AJI is a member:
Malang: Journalists harassed by Minister of Law and Legislation
1 March 2000
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance-Jakarta Office is deeply concerned by the recent harassment of journalists who were thrown out by the Minister of Law and Legislation, Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
According to the Malang Press Club, the expulsion occurred on 27 February, at the Musyawarah National Wilayah I DPW Partai Bulan Bintang (National Meeting of Provincial Boards of the Crescent Star Party), at Hotel New Victoria, Malang, East Java. The journalists, who said that they were invited by the Malang Board of the Party, came to cover the meeting. However, when they went into the meeting room, Mahendra said, “We do not need journalists, we also did not invite them”. His statement was followed by the journalists’ expulsion.
Eko Saktia Solihin, an RCTI cameraman who was filming at the time, was forced to leave the room by Satgas (Satuan Tugas), the party’s militiamen. Dally Siregar, a Radar Jawa Post Journalist, was pulled by his T-shirt and dragged out by the Satgas.
As an organisation for the defense of press freedom, SEAPA is dismayed by the fact that the minister harassed the journalists in the line of their duties and prevented them from carrying out their professional duties. The expulsion of the journalists is clearly a breach of press freedom, which has been enjoyed by Indonesian society since Soeharto’s fall. Ironically, as a Minister of Law and Legislation, Mahendra should have understood the importance of the Press Law. However, his action during the meeting went against the Press Law, especially Article 4, which states:
Paragraph 2: “The national press will not be subject to censorship, closing down of media or banning of the news”.
Paragraph 3: “To guarantee press freedom, the national press has the right to look for, obtain, and disseminate ideas and information”.
