Kinanti Pinta Karana, Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists said that they are planning to investigate the death of Kompas journalist Muhammad Syaifullah depending on the autopsy results.
"We are still monitoring the case of our friend's death, Muhammad Syaifullah. We will wait for the autopsy results to determine whether his death was due to natural causes or foul play," Nezar Patria, chairman of the organization also known as AJI, told the Jakarta Globe.
"If he was murdered or poisoned, AJI will form a team to investigate if his death was related to his journalistic work."
In the past, AJI was closely involved in the the murder investigation of Anak Agung Narendra Prabangsa, a journalist for Radar Bali newspaper. Prabangsa was killed last year over a series of articles he had written for Radar Bali outlining widespread corruption in local government projects.
As the Kalimantan bureau head for Kompas, one of Syaifullah's main focus was on the area's environmental issues. He oversaw articles written about the numerous coal-mining permits issued by the provincial government of East Kalimantan.
Nezar said AJI would also communicate with the province's mining authorities. "The connection to the mining industry will be included in our investigation, but we have to see what the autopsy results are," Nezar said.
"Syaifullah's demise is a huge loss for all of us [journalists], and if he was murdered, it's a black day for the Indonesian press," he added.
Meanwhile, Balikpapan Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Aji Rafik said the police did not find any indication of foul play. "So far, we haven't found any indication that he was murdered. His house was neat and no valuables were missing," he said.
He also said that they found a number of over-the-counter and prescription medicines on the scene. Rafik alleged that Syaifullah died of a heart condition, high blood pressure and diabetes, even though the results of the autopsy have yet to be revealed.
Wahyu, a friend of Syaifullah's who found his body, refuted the police's statement as inaccurate. "There was only headache medicine, Bodrex and migraine tablets," he told online news portal detik.com.
"I knew him for a long time. We once shared a house and I know for sure that he had never had any serious diseases. Syaifullah liked doing sports activities," the former TV stringer said.
Wahyu went to the house upon the request of Syaifullah's wife to check on her husband, as he lived at the staff house by himself. Syaifullah's family lives in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The autopsy is currently being performed at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Balikpapan.