The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Monday called on the Indonesian judiciary to drop all charges against investigative journalist Diananta Putra Sumedi who faces up to six months in jail over a publication
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Monday called on the Indonesian judiciary to drop all charges against investigative journalist Diananta Putra Sumedi who faces up to six months in jail over a publication.
Diananta was arrested in May over an article published on local news site Banjarhits.id in November 2019. The article centered around an alleged land grab by a large palm oil company that could deprive an indigenous population of their ancestral habitat.
Diananta was charged with "causing hatred or hostility against individuals and groups" under the Electronic and Information Transactions code.
In a statement released on Monday, the IFJ teamed up with the Alliance of Independent Journalists Indonesia (AJI) to pressure the court to transfer the case to the Indonesian Press Council, which has the legal competencies to see the matter through.
"The IFJ calls on authorities to dismiss the charges against Diananta and allow the Press Council to adjudicate on the matter," the organization said.
The AJI added that the Press Council had already studied the case and gave its recommendations and that the trial was little more than an intimidation tactic.
"The authorities ignore the fact that the Press Council has handled this matter and produced recommendations. The trial and charges can be used as intimidation tools for journalists who had reported critically," the AJI was quoted as saying.
Indonesia is one of the world's largest palm oil producers, a multi-billion Dollar industry that has come under scrutiny from environmental groups over the practice of clearing large areas of Southeast Asian rainforest to make way for palm monoculture.
