Indonesia still a danger zone for reporters

 Published Date: January 12, 2011

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia is considered one of the five most dangerous countries for journalists in the world, a report submitted by the Board of Press to the Ministry for Legal, Political and Security says.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in its statement said the report mentions 97 journalists from worldwide were killed in Indonesia last year, with three being local.

The Indonesian journalists were said to be killed in connection to their reports on organized crimes and illegal logging or clearing of natural resources.

“We are concerned with this case,” Albertus Magnus Putut Prabantoro, chairman of the Association of Catholic Journalists in Indonesia, told ucanews.com on Jan. 10.

“If the death was caused by the journalists themselves, it needed to be questioned,” he said. Indonesian journalists need to reflect whether they do their job professionally or not, he added.

Prabantoro also advised Catholic journalists to perform their jobs based on the code of ethics and values of justice, truth and option for the poor.

“We should not be tempted by money, politics and group interest,” he said.

Besides Indonesia, the other four most dangerous countries for journalists are Honduras, Iraq, Mexico and Pakistan.



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