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Civil groups condemn violence against journalists reporting Golkar chair, party event
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Say it with flowers, cards: Pressed-flower cards belonging to Malang, East Java, journalists lie on the floor along with flower offerings during a ritual to mark World Press Freedom Day at the city’s square on May 3, 2023. During the event, the journalists expressed their concern about the rampant violence they faced. (JP/Nedi Putra)
T
o:p>The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and Amnesty International Indonesia have condemned a series of attacks and harassment against journalists covering Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto and a recent discussion related to the party.
Two journalists from CNN Indonesia and Kompas TV were attacked by an unknown group on Wednesday when they were reporting the discussion held by Golkar’s youth wing in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
The group, who claimed themselves as part of another Golkar youth wing, forcefully made their way into the restaurant where the event was supposed to be held.
One of the unknown men pushed a Kompas TV journalist who was trying to record the commotion. Members of the group also hit his face and slapped his camera. They then took and threw a mobile phone used by a journalist from CNN Indonesia to capture the incident.
During the one-hour-long ruckus, the unknown aggressors also attempted to break various pieces of reporting equipment, such as tripods, according to AJI.
Almanzo Bonara of the Golkar Party Youth Movement Group (GMPG) that organized the Wednesday discussion accused Golkar chair Airlangga of sending the group to stop the event, Kompas.id reported.
One of the speakers at the event was Ridwan Hisjam, who has openly called for Airlangga’s removal through a Golkar extraordinary congress ahead of the 2024 presidential and legislative elections.
