Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned that the latest wave of threats on journalists and media outlets in Indonesia has escalated, leading to a severe impact on press freedom across the country.
According to HRW, these actions are against the fundamental principle of democracy and have led to nationwide outrage, with journalists criticizing the government’s unconstitutional actions. HRW documented that the abuse faced by media outlets has increased tenfold since amendments were proposed to the National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia) Act, Law No.34/2004, which would empower military officials to have an active role in Indonesia’s justice system and state-owned companies. The violence targeted against journalists includes physical assault, threats at their workplace, and malicious online attacks in the form of doxxing (leaking an individual’s personal information).
HRW further reported that animal carcasses, such as the decapitated heads of pigs, have been left at the doorsteps of media outlets such as Tempo, which has a long history of being outspoken against political oppression. Moreover, days after the incident, six decapitated rats were found in a package addressed to Tempo’s office, with the number of rats reportedly symbolizing the six hosts of Tempo. One of Indonesia’s most prominent media outlets, Tempo has broken ground on investigative journalism. Its reporting in 1994 on the corruption scandal involving Tommy Suharto, son of former President Suharto, garnered international interest and helped promote national accountability.
Assailants have also targeted podcast host Hussein Abri Dongoran in two separate incidents, both of which were reported to the Indonesian police, though no substantial outcome arose from the reports. Furthermore, allegations by senior government officials that journalists and media outlets promote a foreign agenda have only served to fuel these attacks against human rights defenders.
The massive cyber-attacks against Tempo which also came in the form of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks crippled customers access to the website after it released an exposé on politically affiliated online gambling rings. The right to freedom of expression is enshrined under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Indonesia is party to. Thus, the international community is advised to increase pressure on Indonesia to safeguard the right to freedom of expression.
President Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo’s first six months in public office have been increasingly turbulent, with growing fears that the country would return to its authoritarian past, which lasted 32 years until 1998. Concerns over the human rights situation in the Southeast Asian country have multiplied over the years, especially concerning the recent legal reforms aimed at formally expanding the military’s role in civilian affairs, triggering nationwide protests and drawing sharp criticism from human rights organizations.
