Indonesian journalists condemn Israeli attack on media offices in Gaza aa.com.tr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aa.com.tr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ironically, with the annual World Press Freedom Day on April 26, many commentors also warn about the increased dangers for journalists covering the conflict.
Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy chairperson Hendardi has criticised the government’s move against “armed criminal groups” in Papua, or “KKB”, as the Free Papua Movement (OPM) armed wing is described by military authorities.
The move to designate them as terrorists is seen as a short-cut and an expression of the government’s “desperation” in dealing with the Papuan struggle for independence.
“The labeling of resistance groups in Papua will not break the long and recurring cycle of violence,” Hendardi said, according to a report in
Indonesian journalists urge changes to cyber law
Broad definitions as to what constitutes hate speech and defamation are being used to gag press
Journalists in Indonesia say a computer crime law is being used to stifle press freedom. (Photo: Konradus Epa/UCA News)
Indonesian journalists marked World Press Freedom Day on May 3 by calling on the government and parliament to revise a law they say has been used to gag and persecute them.
According to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the information and electronic transaction law, which aims to regulate online content, has been used to prosecute at least 25 journalists in recent years, some of whom have been jailed.
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It has not been an easy year for journalists, journalism and press freedom in Southeast Asia. The already difficult condition for news organization has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of journalists across the region have lost their jobs as news outlets’ revenue continue to decline and many more suffered pay-cuts with no job security. UNESCO also highlighted the widespread harassment and intimidation of women journalists online in a new report entitled “The Chilling” launched in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day in 2021.
Yet against these odds, journalists, media workers, and press freedom advocates have come together once again in solidarity on this 3 May to commemorate World Press Freedom Day with the global theme “Information as a Public Good.”
IFJ 30 April 2021
IFJ at World Press Freedom Day in Namibia
Information as a public good is the subject of World Press Freedom Day, held in Windhoek, Namibia, 30 years after the Windhoek Declaration (3 May 1991). It remains a seminal event for the development of a free, independent and pluralistic press. World Press Freedom Day has its origins in the UNESCO conference in Windhoek. Below you will find the programme with the participation of the IFJ and its regions.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Regional Forums
The global conference is connecting with the regional World Press Freedom Day celebrations, building upon the historic series of regional seminars triggered by the 1991 Seminar in Windhoek, which inspired regional declarations to promote a free, independent, and pluralistic press, in meetings held in Alma-Ata (1992), Santiago (1994), Sana’a (1996), and Sofia (1997).