JAKARTA - A number of press professional organizations submitted input to the Commission for the Acceleration of Police Reform related to the rampant violence against journalists and cases of criminalization of journalistic works. The association emphasized the need for understanding the police against Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press as a special rule that must be obeyed.
The audience was attended by representatives of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), and the Indonesian Private Broadcast Radio Association (PRSSNI).
The AMSI Advisory and Supervisory Agency, Wenseslaus Mangut, highlighted the importance of understanding the police to the regional level regarding the position of the Press Law as lex specialis in handling cases related to journalistic work.
He said, currently the press freedom index in Indonesia is showing a downward trend. One of the causes is violence against journalists.
"Our input is that the Press Law as a Specialist Lex is really understood by friends in the police to the regions. We work based on the law," said Wenseslaus at the Ministry of State Secretariat Office, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 26.
Related to this, the Head of Advocacy for AJI, Erick Tanjung, explained that attacks on journalists every year have increased. The police became the perpetrators of the most violence in the cases they verified.
"The most actors who are perpetrators are members of the police," he said.
Erick detailed that in 2023 there were 91 cases of violence against journalists, followed by 73 cases in 2024 with more dangerous forms of attack, including the murder and burning of journalists' houses. As of October 2025, 75 cases have been recorded.
"Form cases are various kinds. Threats, terror, arson, and throwing Molotov cocktails at media offices," he said.
He also highlighted the significant increase in digital attacks in the last three years which included hacking WhatsApp, DDoS attacks, and doxing against journalists. AJI asked the Police reform to be carried out thoroughly so that the authorities would understand that press work is protected by law.
PWI's Head of Legal Defense and Development, Anrico Pasaribu, asked the Police Reform Acceleration Commission to ensure clear protection for journalists in the field when dealing with police officers.
Anrico hopes that this input will be a serious part of the Polri's improvement agenda, especially in ensuring that there are no more barriers or violence against journalists who carry out coverage tasks in the field.
Anrico also emphasized the importance of drafting a journalist safety protocol which is understood by law enforcement officials.
"The Press Law is very clear, these tasks must be strictly protected. We provide input on the need to establish a journalist safety protocol in the field which is really known by law enforcement officers in the field," explained Anrico.
"Everything containing a press offense must be submitted to the Press Council. That is the most important thing. There should be no criminalization," he continued.
Responding to this, Member of the Badrodin Haiti Police Reform Acceleration Commission said that his party accommodated the input they received. Furthermore, the commission will discuss the input to be drawn up in its report regarding Polri reform to President Prabowo Subianto.
"Pers also highlighted the problem of ineffective external supervision and even sided with the police who were supposed to carry out good supervision. That is input for us, how will the National Police's future design be, that is one of the points that needs to be in our spotlight in improving the performance of the police in the future," concluded Badrodin.
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