AJI Calls Police Seriously Investigating on Journalist’s Death

BY NURDIN HASAN
BANDA ACEH, Feb 5 (TAG) – The Banda Aceh’s Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) has argued the police in Southeast Aceh to seriously investigate the case of journalist’s death in the district.

“Police must work hard to investigate and unravel this case,” Mukhtaruddin Yacob, the chairman of AJI Banda Aceh, said in a statement sent to The Aceh Globe, Sunday afternoon.

"AJI Banda Aceh condemned Darma's murder or anyone else that causes to pressure the freedom of the press" in Aceh province.

As reported earlier that Darma S, 37,  a journalist of weekly Monitor newspaper that printing in Medan, neighbor North Sumatra province, found dead by local residents in a trenches early Sunday in Lave Dua Village of Bukit Tusam sub-district, more than 10 kilometers to the south of Southeast capital Kutacane.

He worked for the weekly covering in the Southeast Aceh district. As a journalist, Darma is a member of Aceh Journalist Association (PWA) in the district.

“Police have to reveal the caused of the death of Monitor’s journalist so the case will be clear,” Mukhtar said. “By seriously investigating the case, it also hope that the similar case not happen again in the future.”

AJI Banda Aceh calls people that directly related or not to protect the works of journalism and respect the press freedom, Mukhtar said.

He also called on Aceh local journalists and press organisations to oversee the case. “Do not left behind because it could be less serious police investigating it,” Mukhtar said. "We calls journalists in Aceh to be on alert because of the terror and intimidation increasing recently."

He added that he still collecting the detail information to know the caused of Darma’s death. “It’s not clear yet whether the cause is related to his reportings or personal issue. The important thing is that this case should seriusly to be attention the fellow journalists,” he said.

Adj. Comr. Arsyah, the southeast Aceh police chief said earlier that Darma’s body found in the trenches of Lawe Dua village in Bukit Tusam sub-district around 2:00 a.m Sunday by local residents. The victim’s motorcycle also found parking the street closed to his body.

“I don’t want to speculate the caused and motive of his death as police still investigating this case and waiting the result of  visum et repertum from doctors,” Arsyad said.[]