Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) strongly protested the police's decision to declare an editor of Tempo magazine, Ahmad Taufik, as a suspect in a defamation case.

The group urged the police to revoke the status, because under the 1999 Press Law, an editor could not be declared a suspect for a report published by the media. The law says the responsibility in such a case rests with the heads of the business and editorial sections.

Taufik wrote an article that linked businessman Tomy Winata with the fire that engulfed Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta in February. The report sparked anger among Tomy's supporters, who attacked the magazine's office and its journalists in retaliation.

The police has also declared Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti a suspect in the case, and three of Tomy's confidants for the attack.

Taufik had been jailed by former president Soeharto for establishing AJI, then a counter organization to the government-controlled Indonesian Press Association.