Antara News, Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Press Council (Dewan Pers) has recorded 25 cases of violence against journalists during 2010, a spokesman said.
The violence occurred in the form of acts of intimidation, destruction of reporting equipment, vandalization of media offices, acts of sabotage , confinement, physical maltreatment and murder, Agus Sudibyo, head of the Press Council`s unit for complaints and ethics enforcement, said here Wednesday.
"The number of cases of violence against journalists has increased and according to the Legal Aid Institute for Media it is even the worst on record," he said.
Agus, who was accompanied by Press Council Chief Bagir Manan and Vice Chief Bambang Harymurty said data obtained by the Council showed the perpetrators were people of different backgrounds and included public figures like artists, government office staff, ordinary citizens and hoodlums.
But the Council had also noted that in some cases, the violence occurred after provocation by press workers who had violated professional principles and the journalistic code of ethics.
According to Agus, the causes of the violence varied but in general it had happened because press freedom and journalists` safety were not yet being protected optimally.
Bagir Manan said the violence against media workers had happened because of the arbitrariness of people in power and because of people`s resentment at having their affairs exposed to the public.
"From the journalistic viewpoint, it is all a consequence of the practice of press freedom. On the one hand, the freedom enables journalists to publish information with a minimum of restrictions but on the other there are people who can`t accept such freedom," Bagir said.
The Council opined that the risks to journalists` safety were still a serious problem in Indonesia and the government should pay greater attention to the increasing phenomenon of violence and criminal acts against the media and its workers.
The Council called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to show more serious concern about abuse against journalists.
"It`s the government`s duty to make sure that the principles of press freedom are truly enforced and the safety of media workers is ensured," Agus said.
Agus said the law enforcing agencies should prove their commitment to respect for press freedom by investigating the crimes that had been committed against Indonesian journalists because the agencies` firmness could inform society that violence against media workers was unlawful.
Nevertheless, Agus added, the cases of violence should also motivate media companies to show their responsibility by providing their journalists with comprehensive understanding about journalistic professionalism and ethics.
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