Silpester Kasipka, Jayapura – The Papuan Journalist Justice and Safety Advocacy Coalition (KAKKJ) held a peaceful action in front of the Jubi media editorial offices on Jalan SPG Taruna Bakti in Waena, Jayapura city, on Thursday October 16.
The solidarity action was held to mark one year since of the Molotov cocktail firebomb attack on the Jubi offices, which occurred exactly one year ago. Jubi Editor-in-Chief Jean Bisay said the commemoration was a form of appeal to law enforcement officials to immediately complete the investigation into the violence against the media in Papua.
"We are commemorating one year since the Molotov cocktail case at the Jubi offices. To date, the legal process has not yet shown any significant progress. We hope the police and the TNI [Indonesian Military) will soon announce the two suspected perpetrators that have been named in the investigation", he said.
Bisay explained that the advocacy coalition submitted a letter of notification of the action with the Jayapura city police on October 14. The action was originally planned to be held in front of the Cenderawasih/XVII Regional Military Command Headquarters (Makodam), the Papua Regional Police Headquarters (Mapolda) and the Papuan House of Representatives (Papua DPR) but in the end moved to the courtyard of the Jubi editorial office after receiving a letter of reply from the police.
He said that the latest developments in the Molotov bomb case were contained in an Investigation Progress Notification (SP2HP) received by the Jubi editorial team on August 14. The letter mentioned plans for a joint case review with the Papua Regional Police (Polda) and the Cenderawasih/XVII Kodam, but so far there has been no clarity on the follow-up.
"We haven't received any official explanation yet regarding the results of the follow-up investigation. This case seems to have stalled. We don't know what's happening at Polda or Kodam", he said.
According to Bisay, during a meeting at the Papua DPR on May 23, the legislative body issued a statement urging authorities to resolve cases of violence against journalists in Papua. However, no concrete steps have been taken to date.
He also revealed that advocacy efforts have been conducted at the national level, including with the Press Council and a planned hearing with Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). However the follow-up from these institutions has not yielded any results.
"Press Council Chairperson Ibu [Mrs] Ninik Rahayu was able to visit Jayapura and promised to follow up on the case with the Kapolri [national police chief], but to date, there has been no response. We will again urge the new Press Council to oversee this legal process", he said.
Bisay said that Jubi along with the advocacy coalition will continue fighting for justice until the perpetrators of the Molotov cocktail attack are brought to justice.
"We will continue to fight however long it takes. Whoever becomes the Pangdam [military commander] or the Kapolda [Regional Police Chief], we will continue to demand justice because the evidence and witnesses are still exist. We just want the perpetrators to be prosecuted in accordance with the law", he said.
Weak commitment to protecting press freedom
The Secretary of the Papua Journalists Advocacy Coalition, Simon Baab, believes that the slow handling of the case shows the weak commitment of the authorities to protecting press freedom in Papua.
"We've visited almost every agency, including the DPR, Kodam and even the central government, but to date, there's been no concrete response. The Papuan DPR promised to monitor this case, but there's been no progress", said Baab.
He emphasised that the Coalition will continue to demand the disclosure of the two perpetrators mentioned at the Papuan DPR meeting a year ago, and will also ask the Papuan Regional Police to publicly announce the results of the investigation.
"The indications of the two perpetrators were clear from the start. So, the Polda must announce this to the public. If they're not connected to a dangerous network, why hide it? There should be no impression that the authorities are protecting certain parties", he said.
Baab added that attacks on media offices were an unjustifiable form of intimidation against press freedom.
"We don't want any editorial office in Papua to be intimidated in this way. This violates the Press Law. If anyone is dissatisfied with the news coverage, the complaint channels are regulated by law, not violence", he said.
The Papua KAKKJ stated that it will continue to monitor the legal process in the case and are urging law enforcement officials to immediately complete the investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice and provide a deterrent effect for violence against journalists in Papua.
The Molotov cocktail attack on the Jubi office occurred in the early hours of October 16, 2024, and set fire to two Jubi operational vehicles parked in front of the office. The incident is one of the most recent attacks on media outlets in Papua that remains unsolved.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Minta Polisi Segera Umumkan 2 Terduga Pelaku Bom Molotov Di Kantor Jubi".]