CPJ, partners urge Indonesia to reform military justice law to end impunity for crimes against journalists
Jakarta/Amsterdam, October 26, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), and Medan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Medan) urge the Indonesian president and lawmakers to uphold the recent Constitutional Court ruling and promptly amend the 1997 Military Justice Law, a crucial step toward ensuring justice for the killers of Tribrata TV journalist Rico…
CPJ, CIVICUS urge Indonesian president to stop undermining press freedom ahead of 2-year mark in office
Jakarta, October 15, 2026—Ahead of the second anniversary of the administration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the Committee to Protect Journalists and CIVICUS urge the government to end practices that undermine press freedom, a pillar of democracy. The Indonesian government must take concrete action in protecting journalists, ending impunity,…
CPJ, partners call on Indonesian president to reopen investigation into journalist’s murder
The Committee to Protect Journalists and five other civil society organizations on Thursday called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to order police to reopen the investigation into the murder of journalist Rico Sempurna Pasaribu and his family, with a focus on the alleged involvement of a soldier named Corporal Herman Bukit. The joint letter was…
CPJ, FPU report exposes serious flaws in Indonesia’s investigation of journalist’s murder
New York/Amsterdam, June 22, 2026—Ahead of the second anniversary of a deadly arson attack on Indonesian journalist Rico Sempurna Pasaribu and his family, a new investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU) has uncovered major flaws in the murder case that highlight the Southeast Asian nation’s poor record of ending impunity…
Impunity in Indonesia: The leads left unfollowed in journalist Rico Sempurna Pasaribu’s murder
Introduction Around 3:30 a.m. on June 27, 2024, Rico Sempurna Pasaribu and three of his family members were murdered when their home in the Sumatran town of Kabanjahe was doused with gasoline and set on fire. News spread quickly when it became clear the target of the attack was a journalist with news site Tribrata…
Chicken heads sent to Indonesian news outlet after threats over coverage of Papua documentary
Jakarta, June 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the repeated harassment of Indonesian news site Floresa following its coverage of an investigative documentary about deforestation in Papua province caused by aggressive agribusiness expansion. On June 5, a Floresa journalist discovered three rotten chicken heads outside the outlet’s office in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara,…
Indonesian journalists attacked over reporting at mineral processing plant
Jakarta, March 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indonesian authorities to hold accountable those responsible for assaulting journalists Frendy Primadana and Dedy Wahyudi and ensure all Indonesian reporters can cover environmental issues without fear of reprisal. At about 2 p.m. on March 7, workers at Putraprima Mineral Mandiri, a zircon processing company in…
Indonesian journalists attacked while covering nationwide protests
Bangkok, September 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports of journalists being assaulted, harassed, and threatened while covering recent nationwide protests in Indonesia, and calls on authorities to swiftly investigate the incidents and hold those responsible to account. At least 16 journalists have reported physical attacks, verbal threats, equipment confiscation, and other…
At least 8 reporters assaulted at Indonesian smelting factory
Bangkok, August 26, 2025—Security personnel, police officers, and community members attacked a group of eight journalists covering an environmental inspection at the PT Genesis Regeneration Smelting facility in Serang, a city west of the capital Jakarta, on August 21. At least one journalist sustained injuries that required medical attention. “Indonesian authorities must identify, arrest, and…
CPJ, Southeast Asian lawmakers call on ASEAN to protect journalists, media freedom
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…