Bambang Muryanto and Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – A number of local journalists from different media outlets staged a rally in front of the Gedung Agung state palace in Yogyakarta on Wednesday, calling for a stop of various forms of violence committed by particular groups in society.
The protest was held after a television reporter was injured following an exchange of stones and insults between supporters of the Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) on Tuesday after a trial session of FPI Yogyakarta chairman Bambang Tedy, who is standing trial on charges of alleged assault and defamation at the Yogyakarta District Court.
A TV One reporter, Nuryanto, 33, who was covering the story, was injured during the incident. "Don't make Indonesia an unsafe place for journalists," the head of the TV One station's Yogyakarta bureau, Hendrawan Setiawan, said in his speech at the protest.
He said it was embarrassing that the violence happened right in front of security personnel. He also urged the police to thoroughly investigate the incident that had injured his reporter.
The incident occurred when FJI members who had attended the trial mocked FPI members who were outside the court building. The situation rapidly degenerated into stone-throwing between the two sides, and Nuryanto, who was taking pictures of the incident, was caught in the crossfire.
Nuryanto was taken to Yogyakarta Bethesda Hospital after the scuffle and received two stitches for the injury on his left temple. He also reported the case to the Yogyakarta City Police.
The chairwoman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Yogyakarta branch, Pito Agustine Rudiana, called on journalists to take measures to ensure their safety while covering conflicts.
She said journalists had to follow certain standard operational procedures and the journalistic code of conduct as well as maintain independence when reporting conflicts. "No news is worth a life," she said.
Separately, FPI Yogyakarta chairman Bambang Tedi and his wife Sebrat Haryanti paid a visit on Wednesday afternoon to the TV One Yogyakarta bureau office and were received by Hendrawan Setiawan and Nuryanto. "We are concerned with what happened to Nuryanto," Bambang said.
He said he had no idea who had thrown the stone that hit Nuryanto and apologized if it was thrown by a member of the FPI. He also offered to hand over Rp 2 million (US$222) in cash as an expression of empathy, but Nuryanto turned it down. Nuryanto said what he experienced was part of the risks he had to face as a journalist.
Bambang Teddy was tried for allegedly assaulting Erna Efriyanti, who reported him to the police for allegedly verbally abusing her, punching and spitting on her as she attempted to collect a debt from his wife.