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Jakarta Post

Journalists condemn military brutality

Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post)
Medan, North Sumatra
Tue, August 16, 2016

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Journalists condemn military brutality Fight for your rights – Hundreds of journalists stage a peaceful rally to protest against violence against journalists in front of the Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday. (thejakartapost.com/Apriadi Gunawan)

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undreds of journalists staged a peaceful rally to protest against violence against journalists in front of the Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday.

They condemned the brutal attacks committed recently by several Indonesian Air Force soldiers against two on-duty journalists.

They called on Air Force authorities to investigate the attacks and to sanction both the soldiers involved in the attacks and their commanders.

“We want this violence against journalists to be investigated properly. The perpetrators must be brought to justice and their commanders must be dismissed because they were unable to control their members,” said Harizal, a journalist.

The incident began when Array Argus of local newspaper Tribun Medan and Andri Syafrin of MNC TV were assigned to cover a clash, reportedly triggered by a land struggle, between Air Force personnel and residents of Sari Rejo subdistrict on Monday.

Syafrin said an unidentified soldier dragged him aside and attacked him with  piece of wood, with several other soldiers joining in, causing him to fall to the ground.

“I had told them I was a journalist and most of them knew that I was a journalist but they kept beating me,” Syafrin told The Jakarta Post at Royal Prima Hospital, Medan, on Tuesday. He added that his camera and cell phone had also been confiscated in the incident.

Echoing his colleague, Array said he had shouted that he was a journalist and showed his press card. “But the soldier attacking me just said he didn't care,” he said at Mitra Sejati Hospital.

Harizal said the brutality showed that the security authorities were still unaware of the principles of press freedom as stipulated by the 1999 Press Law. (ebf)

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