Indonesia / Asia

The Committee to Protect Journalists and a group of Southeast Asian lawmakers have called for the “active engagement” of the regional bloc ASEAN in protecting press freedom and the formation of an inter-parliamentary alliance to safeguard media rights in the region, which includes some of the worst offenders of press freedom. As governments escalate efforts…

Bangkok, March 27, 2025—Indonesia must identify and bring to account police officers who forced two journalists — one of whom they beat on the head — to delete photos and videos they shot during a protest on March 24, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. About 1,000 demonstrators threw stones and clashed with police,…

Editor’s note: Three days later on March 22, cleaners at the news outlet Tempo found a box of six rats with their heads cut off, in another incident that the publication called an “act of terror.” New York, March 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment of Indonesia’s leading independent news outlet, Tempo, after a…

New York, July 5, 2024—Indonesian authorities must conduct an independent and credible investigation into the house fire that killed journalist Sempurna Pasaribu, determine if the blaze was sparked in retaliation for his news reporting, and bring any perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Pasaribu, a contributor to the local Tribrata…

Bangkok, May 29, 2024—Proposed amendments to Indonesia’s broadcasting law represent a clear and present danger to press freedom and should be scrapped immediately to uphold and protect democracy, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. According to multiple press reports citing a leaked draft of the broadcast bill, electronic and television broadcasts of “exclusive investigative journalism” would be restricted…

Bangkok, January 24, 2023 – Indonesian authorities must thoroughly and swiftly investigate the recent attack on Papuan journalist Victor Mambor’s home and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At about 4 a.m. Monday, an improvised explosive device detonated outside of Mambor’s house in Jayapura, a city in the province…

New York, December 6, 2022 – In response to news reports that Indonesian lawmakers passed a new criminal code with provisions that restrict press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement Tuesday calling for authorities to rescind the legislation: “President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian legislature must reverse course and revise the country’s new criminal…

Bangkok, November 1, 2022—Authorities in Indonesia must launch an independent investigation into a cyberattack on the Konde.co news website and identify the perpetrators, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On October 24, Konde.co was hit by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that temporarily brought down the independent local news website, according to news reports and the…

Bangkok, July 21, 2022 – Indonesian authorities should investigate a series of incidents of harassment and intimidation against local journalists, identify and bring the relevant perpetrators to justice, and work to better protect media members and their ability to report without fear of reprisal or violence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “A recent…

Cybercrime is on the global agenda as a United Nations committee appointed to develop a treaty on the topic plans for its first meeting amid pandemic-related delays. The process is slated to take at least two years, but experts warn that such a treaty – initially proposed by Russia – could hand new tools to…