Accused Freed, Charges Downgraded in Journalists’ Murder

Accused Freed, Charges Downgraded in Journalists’ Murder in Indonesia

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned that three accused murderers of journalist Ridwan Salamun have been freed after murder charges were downgraded to “persecution” in eastern Indonesia.

The District Court of Tual in the Maluku Islands on March 9 freed three defendants Hasan Tamange, Ibrahim Raharusun, and Sahar Renuat, who were alleged to have murdered Sun TV contributor Ridwan Salamun on August 21, 2010, while he was covering a clash between villagers in the province.

The men were indicted on murder charges but the Tual District Attorney later downgraded the indictment to “persecution”, seeking only eight-month jail sentences for the accused, who were then acquitted by the court.

IFJ affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) expressed its dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, saying it underlines an enduring culture of impunity for crimes against journalists in Indonesia.

“Impunity for murder is an indication that the state does not have a will to protect journalists,” AJI president Nezar Patria said.

AJI reported that all murders of journalists in Indonesia went unpunished, with one exception, the killers of Anak Agung Gede Narendra Prabangsa, who was murdered in Bali in 2009. AJI will investigate the court's decision and submit a complaint to Indonesia’s Public Attorney Commission.

“The downgrading of murder charges in Indonesia sends a worrying signal that brutal acts of violence against media workers will continue to be tolerated by authorities,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“Journalists have the right to perform their duties without fear or favour, and the Indonesian Government is obliged to ensure this right is upheld as a matter of urgency.”

Indonesia’s Press Council and the Maluku Media Centre also denounced the verdict. Police had claimed the three had killed Ridwan in self-defence because the journalist had been carrying a machete, the Jakarta Globe reported on March 9, but the Press Council said Ridwan was unarmed.

Noor Rachmad, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said prosecutors planned to lodge an appeal of the verdict with the Supreme Court within 14 days, the newspaper reported.

The news comes after a brutal attack on VivaNews and Jakarta Globe contributor Banjir Ambarita, who was hospitalised after he was stabbed in an assault by two men in Jayapura, Papua province, in the early hours of March 3. The journalist had earlier reported on a case involving three police officers who confessed to sexually abusing a female detainee, Agence France-Presse reported on March 9.

The IFJ calls for all media companies in Indonesia to provide employees with best-practice safety training and insurance in order to minimise the inherent risks for journalists reporting on conflicts and other violent incidents, and for all attacks upon journalists to be thoroughly investigated by authorities in Indonesia.

ENDS

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