Freedom of Information & Press

December 2019

News/Indonesia
KBR – December 23, 2019

Resky Novianto, Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – Throughout 2019, most of the violence against journalists in Indonesia was committed by police. This was revealed in the Alliance of Independent Journalists’ (AJI) 2019 End of Year Report which was released on Monday December 23.

November 2019

News/West Papua
CNN Indonesia – November 4, 2019

Jakarta – The 2019 Press Freedom Index in Papua is still in the lowest position out of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. The Press Freedom Index for Papua stands at 66.56 or “slightly free”, or only one level above “almost free”.

October 2019

News/West Papua
Suara.com – October 23, 2019

Reza Gunadha, Eleonora Padmasta Ekaristi Wijana – Lawyer and human rights activist Veronica Koman has been awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

The ACFID presented the award to Koman at its annual conference in Sydney on the evening of Wednesday October 23.

News/Indonesia
Kompas.com – October 15, 2019

Jakarta – Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Chairperson Abdul Manan predicts that violence against journalists by security forces will still represents a real threat under the next administration of president and vice president elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Ma’ruf Amin.

September 2019

News/Indonesia
CNN Indonesia – September 18, 2019

Jakarta – The Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) includes jail sentences for anyone who spreads communist, Marxist and Leninist teachings in public.

Statements/West Papua
GEBRAK – September 3, 2019

Since the siege on the Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, a wave of demonstrations by the Papuan people has taken place. Massive protest actions have taken place in at least 14 districts in Papua and West Papua provinces.

August 2019

News/Indonesia
Suara.com – August 16, 2019

Pebriansyah Ariefana – Police intimidated and assaulted journalists covering a labour rally in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on the afternoon of Friday August 16. The workers were holding the demonstration to coincide with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s State of the Nation address.

Analysis/Indonesia
CNN Indonesia – August 8, 2019

Jakarta – Raids on leftist books discussing communism and the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) have started again.

News/Indonesia
Tirto.id – August 5, 2019

Haris Prabowo – A book raid by a group of people calling themselves the Indonesian Muslim Brigade (BMI) in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar has caused an uproar on social media. The group confiscated books which they claim contain “communist and leftist ideas”.

News/Indonesia
Detik News – August 5, 2019

Muhammad Taufiqqurahman, Makassar – A group calling itself the Indonesian Muslim Brigade (BMI) has seized books they say smack of communism from a Gramedia bookstore in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, including books by Franz Magnis-Suseno.