Press Council Asks All Parties To Respect Press Freedom

Chairman of the Press Council Komaruddin Hidayat. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Press Council received a complaint regarding the revocation of the CNN Indonesia reporter reporting card on duty within the Presidential Palace.

Chairman of the Press Council Komaruddin Hidayat reminded all parties to uphold the implementation of press freedom carried out by journalists/journalists wherever on duty.

"The Palace Press Bureau should provide an explanation regarding the revocation of the ID Card of CNN Indonesia journalists so as not to hinder the implementation of journalistic duties within the Palace," he said.

The Press Council, he continued, called on all parties to respect the duties and functions of the press that carry out the public mandate as stipulated in Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press.

Selain itu, kata Komaruddin, Dewan Pers meminta agar akses liputan wartawan CNN Indonesia yang dicabut segera dipulihkan sehingga yang bersangkutan dapat kembali menjalankan tugas jurnalistiknya di Istana.

"Dewan Pers mengharapkan agar kasus ini maupun kasus serupa tidak terulang di masa mendatang demi terjaganya iklim kebebasan pers di Indonesia," ujarnya.

In addition, said Komaruddin, the Press Council requested that access to coverage of CNN Indonesia journalists who were revoked be immediately restored so that the person concerned could return to carrying out his journalistic duties at the Palace.

"The Press Council hopes that this case or similar cases will not be repeated in the future for the sake of maintaining the climate of press freedom in Indonesia," he said.