Jakarta – Aceh rebels used a kidnapped television reporter as a human shield during a gunfight with Indonesian soldiers that led to his death early this week, the military claimed on Wednesday.
The rebels, however, denied the charges and accused the soldiers of "executing" Ersa Siregar, a journalist for the Jakarta-based private RCTI TV network, during a firefight in a swamp in east Aceh on Monday.
Verifying either claim will likely be difficult as media and human rights workers in Aceh have been severely restricted since May 19, when Jakarta imposed martial law and launched a major offensive against the rebels after peace talks broke down.
More than 1,200 people – most of them men identified by the military as rebels – have been killed in the crack down.
The military admitted it killed Siregar from a distance of about 50 meters, but said his death was accidental.
"Ersa was used as a human shield," said military spokesman Maj. Gen. Syafri Syamsudin. "The rebels should have protected him instead of placing him in front of them in the gunfire. They did not yell that Siregar was with them." "It was a violation of the humanitarian law of war," Syamsudin told a news conference.
Rebel spokesman Sofyan Dawood told The Associated Press the soldiers knew Siregar was with the band of eight rebels when they started shooting.
"The Indonesian military executed [Siregar] by close-range," Dawood said. "[Siregar] had a gunshot wound in the leg, which hit him several days ago," he said. "When we tried to retreat [from the gunbattle], he was too slow."
Siregar was abducted with cameraman Ferry Santoro and their driver in June. The cameraman is still missing, while the driver escaped earlier this month. The rebels initially claimed the men were spies, but later dropped that charge. They had demanded a temporary cease-fire before releasing the three.
Local and international media groups have called for an independent investigation into the fatal shooting. Hundreds of journalists and human rights activists launched protests across the country on Tuesday.
Syamsudin said military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto elcomed an independent probe into the killing.