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Killed
August 16
Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, Bernas, KILLED
Syafruddin, a correspondent for the Yogyakarta daily Bernas, died from injuries sustained during a beating by unidentified assailants. Two visitors to Syafruddin's house beat him with a metal stick on Aug. 13, inflicting serious injuries to his head and stomach. The assailants fled on a motorcycle immediately after the attack. Syafruddin was transferred to the intensive care unit of a Catholic hospital in Yogyakarta, but never regained consciousness. He died in the hospital three days later. Local sources speculated that Syafruddin's death may have been related to his articles on land disputes and government corruption in Bantul, the Yogyakarta suburb that he covered for Bernas. Indonesia's National Committee on Human Rights in October began an investigation into Syafruddin's death. Earlier in the month, police in Jogyakarta arrested a suspect. However, Syafruddin's wife reportedly claimed that the suspect is not one of the men she saw kill her husband, and that the suspect is a foil to deflect blame from the guilty parties. CPJ wrote to President Suharto to express alarm over the murder. The Committee called on the Indonesian leader to order a complete investigation into Syafruddin's death as well as public disclosure of the investigation's findings.
For more information contact asiaweb@cpj.org