Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply saddened by the
death of our colleague Mohamad Jamal, a cameraman for the Indonesian
government-run television station TVRI. We urge Your Excellency to order
a thorough and impartial inquiry into his murder.
Jamal's body was recovered last night, June 17, by locals in Banda Aceh,
the provincial capital of strife-torn Aceh, where a major Indonesian
military offensive is underway to crush a long-running separatist insurgency.
A military spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Jamal's body
was found in a river. Other witnesses said that Jamal's eyes and mouth
had been covered with duct tape, his hands bound with a nylon cord,
and a noose lashed to a boulder was tied around his neck, according
to Reuters.
Journalists in Aceh said that unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Jamal
on May 20, the day after martial law was imposed in Aceh. The motive
behind his kidnapping and murder remain unclear.
As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to the defense
of our colleagues around the world, CPJ believes that the circumstances
of Jamal's killing warrant an immediate, high-level investigation. CPJ
is extremely concerned about the dangers facing journalists reporting
on the conflict in Aceh.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and await your
response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
