(AJI/IFEX) – The following is a 31 December 2001 letter to National Police Chief General Da’i Bachtiar by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which AJI is a member: 31 December 2001 His Excellency General (Police) Da’i Bachtiar National Police Chief Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3. Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia Via Fax: 62-21-7207277 Your Excellency, The […]
(AJI/IFEX) – The following is a 31 December 2001 letter to National Police Chief General Da’i Bachtiar by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which AJI is a member:
31 December 2001
His Excellency General (Police) Da’i Bachtiar
National Police Chief
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3. Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Via Fax: 62-21-7207277
Your Excellency,
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Jakarta is deeply alarmed over the act of violence committed by members of the Aceh Mobile Brigade (Brimob) against Serambi Indonesia reporter Zahrial, on December 22 in the Teunom district in West Aceh.
The incident occurred while Brimob members were conducting a sweep on public transportation vehicles in the region. Zahrial was one of the passengers in a minibus, as he was travelling to Banda Aceh to attend his newspaper’s year-end meeting. He too was told to step out of the minibus.
All identity cards were inspected. The passengers were interrogated one by one. When it was the journalist’s turn, the Brimob officers noticed “Staff Member of Serambi Indonesia” on his ID. The officers immediately went through Zahrial’s bag. They found an Indonesian Press Association (PWI) press pass belonging to Zahrial, who is also the head of the West Aceh Serambi bureau. They also found a letter inviting him to attend the newspaper’s meeting.
The officers were not happy when they found out all the documents. They started to tear the card and accused the journalist of writing articles that have discredited the police and the armed forces (TNI). A number of officers later joined in, punching Zahrial in the forehead and kicking him in the back. The journalist fell face down. Soon, the others joined the thumping. Fortunately, one Brimob officer was reportedly calm and stopped his colleagues. However, as the journalist was about to hop on his minibus, another officer managed to throw a last punch. Once again, the journalist fell to the ground.
One officer spoke to the journalist before the minibus left the place. “You tell one soul and I’ll kill you,” he said.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our colleagues and the promotion of press freedom, we condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms because it points 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 Zahrial 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 journalist 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
Advocacy Coordinator
Recommended Action
Similar appeals can be sent to:
His Excellency General (Police) Da’i Bachtiar
National Police Chief
Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3. Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Fax: +62 21 720 7277
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