Palembang – A group of journalists from various organizations rallied in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday morning to voice their opposition to what they termed the criminalization of journalists by police.

The protesters rallied at Palembang's Fountain Traffic Circle to condemn the National Police summons of editors of Kompas and Seputar Indonesia, saying this had endangered press freedom.

"We work based on data. Professional media reveals news by upholding a code of ethics," South Sumatra Independent Journalists Alliance chairman Imron Supriyadi said.

Kompas managing editor Budiman Tanuredjo and Seputar Indonesia managing editor Nevy Hetharia complied with the summons at met the National Police's detective unit on Friday.

They said the police had asked them where they got the transcripts of wiretapped telephone conversations between Anggodo Widjojo (the brother of wanted corruption suspect Anggoro Widjojo) and a number of law enforcers, that had contained evidence of an alleged plot to criminalise Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chiefs Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.