Thirty journalists, representing a variety of mass media outlets in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), staged a rally to demand guarantees for press freedom on Tuesday to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.

The group staged a theatrical performance depicting journalists struggling for the freedom of their profession, grouped under the moniker Journalist Association (Kawan) of Mataram.

Protest coordinator Haris Maftul, also chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Mataram branch, said the rally had been organized to remind the central government and regional administration of their commitment to press freedom.

"We also want to ask the press, in particular those that live and work in NTB and also in wider Indonesia, to say no to any form of intervention, especially those made by political parties," Haris said.

Chairman of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) NTB branch, Herman Zuhdi, said that press freedom,as stipulated in Law No. 40/1999, had not yet been implemented effectively.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/04/islands-focus-world-press-freedom-day-celebrated.html