Journalist's Attackers Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison

TheIndonesia.id - The Surabaya District Court has sentenced two police officers to ten years imprisonment after they were found guilty of attacking a Tempo journalist.

As reported by Antara, presiding judge Muhammad Basir found Chief Pol. Brig. Purwanto and Pol. Brig. Muhammad Firman Subkhi to have violated Article 18 Paragraph (1) of Law No.40/1999 on Press jo. Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.

In addition to imprisonment, on Wednesday, January 12, the court also ordered defendants to pay Rp13.81 million (US$986) to victim Nurhadi and Rp21.85 million to witness Fahmi.

However, despite the conviction, the court didn’t order detention, citing their role as police officers as the basis for the decision. Moreover, the sentence is less severe than the original charge by the public prosecutors which called for 18 months imprisonment for the two defendants.

On March 27, 2021, Nurhadi was attacked by 10 people when he tried to interview former official in the Directorate General of Taxes Angin Prayitno Aji related to his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

Aji was present at his child’s wedding reception in Surabaya, and as Nurhadi tried to take his picture, a number of police officers and organizers approached and attacked him.

Not only did they beat, choke, and kick Nurhadi, the group also destroyed the journalist’s working equipment.

Upon the ruling, the Alliance of Indonesian Independent Journalists, or AJI, said it will continue to monitor the development of the case as attack and intimidation have always been one of the major threats to press freedom.

“[AJI] along with other press organizations will continue to monitor this case,” AJI Surabaya chairman Eben Haezer said in Surabaya.

He also praised the legal proceeding as being a breakthrough as it displays that law enforcers who commit attacks on journalists can also face prosecution.