Indonesia / Asia

New York/Amsterdam, June 22, 2026—Ahead of the second anniversary of a deadly arson attack on Indonesian journalist Rico Sempurna Pasaribu and his family, a new investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU) has uncovered major flaws in the murder case that highlight the Southeast Asian nation’s poor record of ending impunity…

Introduction Around 3:30 a.m. on June 27, 2024, Rico Sempurna Pasaribu and three of his family members were murdered when their home in the Sumatran town of Kabanjahe was doused with gasoline and set on fire. News spread quickly when it became clear the target of the attack was a journalist with news site Tribrata…

Jakarta, June 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the repeated harassment of Indonesian news site Floresa following its coverage of an investigative documentary about deforestation in Papua province caused by aggressive agribusiness expansion. On June 5, a Floresa journalist discovered three rotten chicken heads outside the outlet’s office in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara,…

Jakarta, March 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Indonesian authorities to hold accountable those responsible for assaulting journalists Frendy Primadana and Dedy Wahyudi and ensure all Indonesian reporters can cover environmental issues without fear of reprisal. At about 2 p.m. on March 7, workers at Putraprima Mineral Mandiri, a zircon processing company in…

Bangkok, September 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports of journalists being assaulted, harassed, and threatened while covering recent nationwide protests in Indonesia, and calls on authorities to swiftly investigate the incidents and hold those responsible to account. At least 16 journalists have reported physical attacks, verbal threats, equipment confiscation, and other…

Bangkok, August 26, 2025—Security personnel, police officers, and community members attacked a group of eight journalists covering an environmental inspection at the PT Genesis Regeneration Smelting facility in Serang, a city west of the capital Jakarta, on August 21. At least one journalist sustained injuries that required medical attention. “Indonesian authorities must identify, arrest, and…

The Committee to Protect Journalists and a group of Southeast Asian lawmakers have called for the “active engagement” of the regional bloc ASEAN in protecting press freedom and the formation of an inter-parliamentary alliance to safeguard media rights in the region, which includes some of the worst offenders of press freedom. As governments escalate efforts…

Bangkok, March 27, 2025—Indonesia must identify and bring to account police officers who forced two journalists — one of whom they beat on the head — to delete photos and videos they shot during a protest on March 24, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. About 1,000 demonstrators threw stones and clashed with police,…

Editor’s note: Three days later on March 22, cleaners at the news outlet Tempo found a box of six rats with their heads cut off, in another incident that the publication called an “act of terror.” New York, March 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment of Indonesia’s leading independent news outlet, Tempo, after a…

New York, July 5, 2024—Indonesian authorities must conduct an independent and credible investigation into the house fire that killed journalist Sempurna Pasaribu, determine if the blaze was sparked in retaliation for his news reporting, and bring any perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Pasaribu, a contributor to the local Tribrata…