The following is a 15 February 2000 press release by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which AJI is a member: PROTEST OF DETENTION OF A KEDIRI POS’S JOURNALIST The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Jakarta office protests the recent detention of Doni Prasetyo, a Kediri Pos’s journalist. He was arrested without a warrant […]
The following is a 15 February 2000 press release by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which AJI is a member:
PROTEST OF DETENTION OF A KEDIRI POS’S JOURNALIST
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Jakarta office protests the recent detention of Doni Prasetyo, a Kediri Pos’s journalist. He was arrested without a warrant and detained for ten hours by police officers from Polres (police station headquarters in a district area), Tulungagung.
The incident occurred on Sunday February 13, 2000 in Balai Wartawan (Journalistic Center), Tulungagung, East Java, Indonesia. Shortly after midnight, at around 1:00 am, Doni was taken by seven police officers. He was arrested and questioned about one of his articles, which a Kapolres (a Polres police commander), Tulungagung, Letkol. Drs. Sunaryo SH felt had blackened his name.
The article titled “Tidak Bayar Kapolres, Supir Bis Dipecat” (Not Paying the Kapolres, a Bus Driver was fired), appeared in the January 27, 2000 edition of Kediri Pos. The article referred to a story of unjust compensation that had to be paid by a bus driver to a Kapolres.
The morning after the publication of the article, January 28, 2000, Doni got a summons from Polres Tulungagung. The letter was signed by Letda. Febri Kurniawan, and asked Doni to come to the Polres in order to be questioned regarding his article which was thought to have insulted the Kapolres.
Meanwhile, on January 31, Kediri Pos published an interview with the Kapolres by Doni. In this interview, the Kapolres rejected any allegation that he asked for financial compensation from the bus driver. This interview was also aimed at being a right of reply for the Kapolres. However, the dispute was still not resolved. On February 3, The police issued a second summonds for Doni, signed by Letda. Mujadi.
Finally, on February 13, while Doni slept in the Balai Wartawan office, all of a sudden seven police officers came in. They arrested Doni and forced him to go with them to the district police station. In Polres, Doni began to be interrogated. He was questioned for more than ten hours. According to Surabaya, a source from the Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI), Doni was generally treated as a criminal. The police officer did not give him time to take a rest, to have breakfast, or even to drink. At around 11:00 am the police let him go. However, Doni is required to report twice a week to the district police station.
In response to this case, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Jakarta:
1. Demands that Doni be freed from the allegation of blackening the Kapolres’ image because the Kapolres has been given a chance to express his right of reply on Kediri Pos.
2. If the Kapolres still persists in bringing the case to court, SEAPA demands that Kapolri Letjen. Roesdiharjo remove Letkol. Drs. Sunaryo SH from Kapolres Tulungagung – if Kapolri does not do it, there could be a conflict of interest.
3. Condemns Doni’s arrest without a warrant and Doni’s treatment as a criminal, and sees this as not only an abuse of power by the police but also a violent act by the police against the journalist.
4. Hopes that journalists, particularly in East Java, will not be affected by this violent incident and will continue to work in accordance with the requirements of their profession.
5. Appeals to all parties to respect the journalistic profession.
Jakarta, 15 January 2000,
Lukas Luwarso Solahudin
Secretary General
