Nur Janti, Jakarta – The Jakarta chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Jakarta) condemned the alleged intimidation of a Tempo journalist and weekly podcast host in Jakarta and urged the police to prosecute the perpetrators.
The incident occurred at 9:50 p.m. on Jl. Pattimura between the National Police headquarters and the Public Works and Housing Ministry in South Jakarta as the journalist, Hussein Abri Dongoran, was on his way home after meeting with a source in a mall in the municipality.
When making a U-turn toward the flyover at Jl. Pangeran Antasari, Hussein heard a hard thud coming from behind his car. He looked in the mirror and saw two people riding on a motorcycle and no other vehicles.
The journalist then parked his car to check and found a section of the car's rear window had been smashed.
Hussein, accompanied by attorneys representing Tempo, reported the incident to the South Jakarta Police on Tuesday. Several hours after they filed the report, investigators held a crime scene reconstruction at the location.
Hussein is a journalist covering politics for Tempo magazine and is frequently involved in investigative reports on the countries' political landscape or stories pertaining to high-profile political figures. He also hosts the publication's weekly podcast called Bocor Alus Politik (Fine Leak Politics) that covers the magazine's cover story on Saturday, a day before the magazine's publication.
The Bocor Alus Politik episode broadcast on Aug. 2, as well as Tempo's cover story the next day, was about the feud between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, AJI Jakarta and the Legal Aid Institute for Press (LBH Pers) urged the police to arrest the perpetrators and charge them under Article 170 of the Criminal Code on group violence, or Article 460 on vandalism.
"The police should also reveal the motive behind the terror act of vandalism against the Tempo journalist's car," the groups wrote in the statement.
Should the crime be related to Hussein's work as a journalist, the perpetrators should also be charged under Article 18 of the Press Law, which stipulates the protection of journalists in their work.
Tempo magazine editor-in-chief Setri Yasra said they could not confirm whether the incident was a common criminal act or related to Hussein's works.
"We're still waiting for the police to arrest the perpetrators immediately and, most importantly, uncover the motive," Setri told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, adding that Tempo would ensure its journalists' safety.
He added that Hussein was currently in good condition and had resumed his work covering political issues for the publication.
AJI Jakarta and LBH Pers also urged the Press Council to deploy its antiviolence task force to ensure the police investigate the case thoroughly, while also pushing for the investigation of other cases of violence against journalists.
Pressure on freedom of the press in Indonesia has been high in the past few years, as cases of journalists being assaulted or murdered have risen across the country.
According to the national AJI's data, at least 87 attacks against journalists were recorded last year; the highest on the alliance's record.
The 2023 Journalist Safety Index, which is based on surveys on journalists conducted by the TIFA Foundation, found that 84 percent of surveyed journalists said that threats against journalists were likely to increase during the 2024 general election process.
Nearly one in three journalists also told the surveyors that they experienced violence during their election coverage. Forms of violence experienced included prohibition of reporting, terror, intimidation, digital assault and physical violence.
As the country approaches the simultaneous regional head elections in more than 500 regions in November, the TIFA Foundation urged "election organizers and other stakeholders to pay attention" to the issue of violence against journalists ahead and during the poll, said executive director Oslan Purba in a statement in May.