http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/12/11/press-freedom-under-threat--council-chief/
12/11/07 21:48 Press freedom under threat : council chief Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Press freedom in Indonesia has begun to come under the threat of suppression with the recent occurrence of human rights violations against a few journalists, Press Council Chairman Prof Dr Ichlasul Amal said here Tuesday. "There are at least three cases that came under the spotlight recently, including the trial of columnist Besihar Lubis who is facing an eight-month jail sentence for a column in Koran Tempo daily considered to have insulted the public prosecutors` office as an institution," Ichlasul said. In another instance, a reporter of Oposisi tabloid, Dahri Uhum Nasution, was sentenced to one year in jail by the Supreme Court over a report on a corruption case. "The latest case involved Risang Bima Wijaya, former general manager of Radar Jogja Jawa Pos, who was sentenced to six months in jail by the Sleman District Court in Yogyakarta for alleged defamation," he added. Ichlasul said, the cases against the press were proof that law enforcers in cases related to mass media were ignoring human rights as well as freedom of the press as a manifestation of democracy. "These facts are an irony as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the observance of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 at the Council had stressed the importance of protecting freedom of the press as part of efforts to create clean governance," he said. The Council called on all parties, especially the law enforcing agencies, to respect the principle of human rights in upholding the law. "Protection of freedom of the press will only be real if journalists can do their job without the fear of being sentenced to a jail term," he said. He added that Law No 40/1999 on the Press clearly guaranteed freedom of the press. "Indonesia has also ratified the international covenant on civil and political rights through the issuance of Law no 12/2005. The covenant obliges the government to protect freedom of the press," Ichlasul said.(*) Copyright © 2007 ANTARA
