Kupang – The Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI) has condemned alleged violence against three journalists in East Nusa Tenggara over the past week, saying press freedom had been put under threat.

In a joint statement delivered to local media, a group of journalists under the AJI in Kupang called on local authorities to investigate the alleged torture of Obby Lewanmeru of the Post Kupang daily, Yopi Lati of Timor Express and Hendrik R. Benny of Expo NTT.

They said Obby was tortured Sunday by a group of thugs in Manggarai, Flores, and alleged that Yopi was beaten Monday by Hadi Purwoto, a senior prosecutor at the prosecutor's office.

The jounralists also claimed Benny was clubbed by the East Nusa Tenggara provincial secretary, Iskandar Muhammad Mberu. They linked the violence to their colleagues exposing "unwanted news" in the province.

"Local officials should not take the law into their own hands," the group said. "If they feel uneasy with the news in the daily papers, they should use their right to issue a correction."