Jakarta – The Alliance of Indonesian Journalists (AJI) Yogyakarta protested the Yogyakarta City Police's decision to close the murder case of journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, known as Udin, who was killed in 1996.

AJI Yogyakarta head Pito Agustin Rudiana said on Friday that her organization deplored Yogyakarta Police chief Brigjen Tjuk Basuki's statement that the police would not reopen the case.

"The police said that they have detained the murderer of Udin, but we all know he was just the executor rather than the mastermind," Pito said as quoted by Antara news agency.

She said that the AJI would raise the demand for the case to be reopened. "The Bantul District Court concluded that the case was orchestrated. We want the police to reopen the case," she said.

The case does not expire for another three years. "The expiration date for each criminal case is 18 years. The case will expire in three years. We should conduct the investigation before the expiration date," Pito said.