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Concerns grow over rising violence against journalists following deadly arson attack
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ID cards belonging to journalists in Malang, East Java, 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)
C
ivil groups have raised concerns over violence against press workers and growing restrictions on press freedom following the alleged arson attack that left a reporter in North Sumatra dead, as well as assaults against several journalists in Jakarta.
The Journalist Safety Commission (KKJ), an alliance of journalist associations, said incidents of violence against journalists had been growing in recent years even before the cases in North Sumatra and Jakarta took place.
"Data from the AJI [Association of Independent Journalists] show there were 87 attacks against journalists last year, the highest in history,” KKJ coordinator Erick Tanjung told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
In many of these incidents, press workers faced intimidation, violence and were even murdered because of their jobs, Erick said.
But this number too, he said, was only the tip of the iceberg amid indications that many assaults against journalists in remote regions went unreported.
According to Erick, many victims did not report their assaults to the police because they doubted that the police would handle their cases professionally.
Meanwhile, those who report the attacks often fail to see their cases go to court. “Many of the perpetrators are not held accountable for their actions," Erick said.
