The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives in over 120 countries, calls on the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Australia, the Right Honourable Gordon Brown and the Right Honourable Kevin Rudd, to signal their commitment to justice in the “Balibo Five” murder case.

According to information before IPI, five Australia-based journalists known collectively as the “Balibo Five” were killed in the East Timorese village of Balibo during an invasion by Indonesian troops in 1975. A recent coronial inquiry conducted in New South Wales, Australia, into the death of one of the five, British citizen Brian Peters, found that he was killed “deliberately” by “members of the Indonesian Special Forces” on orders that may have emanated from the top of the chain of command. This finding applied to all five of the murdered journalists, and suggests that the murders were a breach of the Geneva Convention, meaning those responsible for issuing the orders could be tried for war crimes.

Following the release of the findings, the matter was referred to the Australian Attorney-General, who has since referred the issue to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). If the AFP determines that there is sufficient evidence upon which to base a prosecution, the matter will then be referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution (CDPP), with whom the decision whether or not to prosecute ultimately lies.

“IPI has campaigned for justice in the murder of the ‘Balibo Five’ for over 32 years, and believes that the coroner’s finding represents a major breakthrough,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “IPI strongly urges that all is done to ensure that those responsible for the brutal killing of the five journalists are held accountable for their actions.”