Padang – Terror and violence continue to stalk and threaten journalists operating in Sumatra, the Padang Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH) announced in its end-of-year report. The violence included the murder of a journalist.
Padang Press LBH director Roni Saputra said his organization had recorded 24 cases of violence against journalists in Sumatra this year, much lower than the 54 cases recorded in 2014.
"Despite the declining number, we are concerned about attempts to terrorize, threaten and intimidate journalists. A journalist in Lampung was even murdered this year, thus adding to the long list journalists murdered in Indonesia. We hope this will no longer happen in the future," Roni said on Wednesday.
The murder victim, Beni Faisal, was chief editor of Fokus Lampung. He was shot and killed on Jan. 25 by an unidentified person in front of his house. Although the motive and the perpetrators have yet to be uncovered, Beni's weekly tabloid was known to be critical of local government policies.