Jakarta – Situr Wijaya, a 33-year-old journalist from Palu, Central Sulawesi, and the founder of local media outlet iN Sulteng was found dead in a hotel room in West Jakarta on Friday, with his body bearing visible signs of violence including bruises on his face.
The victim's family has subsequently filed a report with the Jakarta Police for alleged murder.
"We suspect it to be a murder, possibly involving poisoning or physical assault. We hope the police can solve the case immediately," said the family's attorney Rotage Oktoberius Halawa on Saturday, as quoted by tempo.co.
The deceased's body was sent to the National Police Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death, though the results have yet to be released. As of now, the body has been returned to Palu and laid to rest in the neighboring city of Sigi.
Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) executive director Mustafa Layong said on Sunday that he "condemned the alleged murder", adding that the Journalist Safety Commission (KKJ), an alliance overseeing violence against journalists, was still cross-checking information with Situr's relatives and coworkers.
Situr's death came just two weeks after a female journalist named Juwita, who worked for digital news outlet Newsway, was found dead in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan.
A navy sailor, identified only as First Seaman J, was arrested late last month in connection with the murder of the 25-year-old journalist.
The Banjarmasin coordinator of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Rendy Tisna, said the preliminary investigation pointed to a single-vehicle crash as the cause of Juwita's death.
However, suspicions arose later that she could have been the victim of a violent mugging because of the unusual circumstances surrounding her death. (gmb)