Aliansi Jurnalis Independen/Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI)

According to AJI, impunity of perpetrators from legal accountability is the root of the escalating cases of violence, signifying the government’s poor protection for journalists.

“Based on the package sent, the suspect clearly aims to silence Ulil Abshar Abdalla through murder,” said Nezar Patria, president of AJI.

The public attorney could not prove that the defendants had killed TV journalist Ridwan Salamun, according to a district court judge.

Though there was no clear motive for the attack, the “Jakarta Post” quoted sources as saying that it might be connected to a sex scandal involving several police officers that journalist Banjir Ambarita had reported on.

Members of the Kaili Youth Front attacked the AJI office because they were dissatisfied with a report published by Beritapalu.com, which works out of the same office.

Five IFEX members and numerous other organisations are gravely concerned for journalists who have been fired and subjected to punitive disciplinary measures due to their courageous struggle for media independence.

The most brutal type of violence committed against journalists consisted of assaults, of which 12 cases were documented.

“Tempo” magazine published images of a police officer with piggy banks to accompany an article titled “Fat bank accounts of police officers”.