H. E. Gen. Haji Mohamed Suharto
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Jakarta
Indonesia
Vienna, 4 December 1995
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, strongly condemns the recent decision of Indonesia’s High Court to increase the sentences of two members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).
Ahmad Taufik, president of AJI, and Eko Maryadi, a fellow member, had sought to have their 32-month sentences overturned on appeal. In a decision dated 11 October 1995, but only released on 24 November, the three High Court judges who head the appeal announced that they were extending the sentences of the two journalists by four months to a total of three years each. The decision followed a closed hearing, in which the journalists were denied legal representation.
Taufik and Maryadi were arrested on 16 March 1995 for distributing the monthly news magazine Independen without a government license. They were convicted on 1 September of violating Article 19 of the Indonesian Press Law, which prohibits the publication of an unlicensed newspaper or magazine, and Article 154 of the Indonesian Criminal Code, which bars expression of “feelings of hostility, hatred or contempt toward the government.”
IPI regards the decision to extend the sentences of the two journalist as a further indication that the Indonesian government intends to crush all efforts to develop a press independent of state control. We reiterate our request of 4 September that Ahmad Taufik and Eko Maryadi be released immediately and unconditionally and strongly urge Your Excellency to ensure that journalists in Indonesia are allowed to pursue their right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas” as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
