Jakarta – The police have started a preliminary investigation into the intimidation of journalists from national news magazine Tempo amid pressure from civil society groups to safeguard press freedom and ensure the safety of the country's reporters.
National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) and the Jakarta Police had conducted a crime scene investigation at Tempo's headquarters in South Jakarta on Sunday in response to journalists receiving two anonymous packages last week, one containing a pig's head and the other containing a collection of decapitated rats.
"The police have taken initial steps to investigate the crime scene, including by gathering necessary information as well as checking the security cameras at the Tempo building," Trunoyudo said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.
"The next part of the plan will be cross-checking [information] from witnesses and fulfilling the formal administrative requirements for [further] investigation," he added.
On Wednesday, Tempo received an anonymous package containing a pig's head addressed to Fransisca "Cica" Christy Rosana, who hosts the publication's Bocor Alus Politik (Fine political leaks) podcast, which has garnered acclaim for its insights into current events since 2023.
Then, in the early hours of Saturday, an unidentified person on a motorcycle threw a box containing the carcasses of six decapitated rats onto the office's premises.
Bareskrim general crimes director Brig. Gen. Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro said on Monday that his team had received the relevant footage from Tempo's security cameras.
"The team will analyze the video recording and prioritize finding one potential suspect, who remains unidentified," he said, as quoted by Antara.
Tempo, one of Indonesia's foremost news publications, has consistently defended civil liberties through its in-depth journalism.
Recently, the outlet has reported critically on the closed-door, contentious revision of the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, which expands the military's role in civilian affairs. Concerns are mounting among pro-democracy activists that the country may be slipping back into the authoritarianism of Soeharto's New Order, when the military dominated public life.
Tempo was banned twice during Soeharto's regime, the second time in 1994, and resumed publication after his downfall in the late 1990s.
In a press conference on Sunday, Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) executive director Mustafa Layong condemned the acts of "terror" against the publication and urged the police to "show their commitment in safeguarding press freedom".
Beh Lih Yi, Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Tempo had been the victim of intimidation.
"Tempo is well-known internationally for its fiercely independent reporting. Using this playbook from autocrats elsewhere simply will not work," she said in a statement, urging President Prabowo Subianto to condemn the act and uphold press freedom.
Prabowo was once married to Soeharto's daughter and is accused of ordering the disappearance of democracy activists near the end of Soeharto's rule, allegations Prabowo denies.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid, meanwhile, warned that being a journalist in Indonesia would become "like a death sentence" if law enforcement failed to protect journalists' rights.
Presidential Communications Office chief Hasan Nasbi said the government remained committed to press freedom and claimed there was no media censorship in Indonesia today.
Previously, Hasan said Tempo "should just cook" the pig's head, a remark that drew ire on social media for its insensitivity.
Source: https://asianews.network/indonesian-police-investigate-intimidation-of-journalists