IFJ Condemns Increasing Attacks On Journalists In Indonesia

IFJ Condemns Increasing Attacks On Journalists In Indonesia

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists Indonesia (AJI) in demanding an end to tolerance for increasing violent attacks on media personnel in Indonesia.

The call came with news of an attack on two journalists in Surabaya City, East Java, on May 7, allegedly perpetrated by police. Lukman, of Trans 7 TV, and Septa Rudiyanto were covering a peaceful but banned protest by Falun Gong followers. Journalists were not permitted to report the incident when police detained some protesters.

According to Lukman, police ordered the journalist to leave and assaulted him. “Police in uniform beat my head,” he said. AJI and the Legal Aid Centre for Press have prepared a case against the police. AJI reports that 21 members of the police are being investigated in regard to the attack.

“This latest incident is a worrying indication of the broader challenges faced by Indonesia’s journalists and media workers in order to bring the news to their communities,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“Ongoing violence targeting media personnel is fuelled in large part by the failure of Indonesia’s authorities to act against such violence. The IFJ calls on the Government of Indonesia to take concrete steps to address impunity for violent attacks as a matter of urgency.”

Increasing cases of violence combined with declining working conditions are challenging journalists across Indonesia. The Indonesian Press Council documented 66 cases of violence against journalists in the past year, including murder, damage to media offices and equipment, forced evictions, reporting bans, lawsuits, intimidation and terror, and mass mobilisation of people against media and journalists.

Few cases have seen justice served. Cases of concern include the Tual State Court’s ruling on March 9 to release three defendants in the case of murdered Sun TV contributor Ridwan Salamun, and the inability of the authorities to solve the brutal stabbing of freelance journalist Banjir Ambarita in Papua.

Safety concerns are compounded by inferior working conditions. An AJI survey conducted in 16 Indonesian cities from December 2010 to mid-January 2011 showed that some media companies pay salaries below the minimum wage. In some cases journalists are not paid salaries. Instead they are instructed to seek their income as account executives or marketing agents or by requesting fees from their sources - in violation of labour laws that such practices will hold corporations to be liable for fines ranging up to RP 400 million (about USD 46,650) and/or a jail terms of up to four years.

The AJI study also found that the wages of women journalists are lower than their male counterparts, and there are concerns about the extent of sexual abuse and sexual harassment faced by many women journalists.

Many media corporations do not provide insurance for their journalists, hence leaving their families without financial protection. Women journalists suffer more from lack of insurance than their male counterparts. In some media companies, women journalists who are pregnant do not get financial support for the cost of their delivery. There is a presumption that a husband’s employer is responsible for this compensation, despite the fact that not all companies reimburse their married male employees for the delivery costs.

The IFJ joins AJI in calling on the Government of Indonesia to:

1) Guarantee the safety of journalists.

2) Bring to justice all suspects in cases of violence against journalists.

3) Enact a minimum wage for journalists and enforce an acceptable wage standard among media corporations.

4) Compel media corporations to provide insurance and proper safety training to journalists working in conflict-prone areas or covering risky topics such as corruption, elections, criminal investigations and environmental issues.

Both organisations further call on journalists and media workers across Indonesia to join forces to build a strong and independent union.

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

Find the IFJ on Facebook here

ENDS

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