TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Press Council urges full investigation of fire that killed journalist in North Sumatra
The Press Council is calling for a thorough investigation of the fire that killed a journalist and his family in Karo regency, North Sumatra, an incident allegedly linked to his reports regarding a local gambling ring.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
This photo taken on July 2, 2024, shows a journalist's house that was burned down on June 26 in Karo regency, North Sumatra. The journalist and three of his family members died in the incident. (Antara/Fransisco Carolio)
T
he Press Council is calling for a thorough investigation of the fire that killed a journalist and his family in Karo regency, North Sumatra, an incident allegedly linked to his reporting on a local gambling ring.
The 47-year-old Sempurna Pasaribu, who worked as a journalist for the police’s Tribarata TV, died after his home caught on fire on June 27. He was killed in the fire alongside his wife Elfrida Boru Ginting, 48, their 12-year-old child and a 3-year-old grandchild.
The cause of the fire that killed Sempurna and his family remained unclear.
An independent fact-finding team from the North Sumatra Journalist Safety Commission (KKJ), a coalition consisting of professional groups such as the Medan chapter of the Association of Independent Journalists (AJI), found that the fire occurred after the publication of Sempurna’s reporting on a gambling incident in the regency that allegedly involved Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel.
Meanwhile, several witnesses claimed that the fire was triggered by spilled gasoline at the victim’s house, where the family used to sell gasoline from a kiosk.
“The Press Council is urging the National Police and North Sumatra Police chiefs to form a team to investigate the case fairly and impartially,” the council said in a statement issued on Monday.
Read also: Police in North Sumatra probe arson accusation in death of reporter
It also called on TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto to form another team to uncover the facts pertaining to the incident.
“The council will also form a joint investigation team involving authorities and KKJ,” as written in the statement.
Aside from the investigations, the Press Council urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) as well as the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) to protect the victims’ families.
Should the investigation find the involvement of any military personnel in the incident, they should be punished as they violated the Press Law that guarantees protection of journalists working in the country.
“The Press Council believes that journalistic activities, including those committed by the Tribarata TV journalist, shouldn’t be a justification to commit an act of violence against him, despite his alleged wrongdoing,” the council added, stopping short of naming the allegation against the late journalist.
The council urged journalists and media companies to work professionally and adhere to the Journalists’ Code of Ethics and other prevailing regulations, while hoping that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
