Siaran Pers

The coalition of six journalists organizations in Southeast Asia condemns the recent bomb attack targeting senior West Papuan journalist Victor Mambor. The coalition thus urges the Indonesian police to conduct an open and thorough investigation to reveal the perpetrators and their motives.  


Victor Mambor and his independent media, JUBI, has been targets of attacks. Victor is the leader of JUBI, a Papua-based alternative media that consistently covers crimes against humanity in the region. Victor himself has faced attacks in the forms of doxing, hacking, online harassment, and vandalism since 2021. 


West Papua is the most dangerous region for journalists in Indonesia, facing the highest levels of conflict, human rights violations and restriction to access of information. The Indonesian Alliance of Independence Journalists (AJI Indonesia) recorded 114 cases of violence against journalists in West Papua from 2000 to 2021. The omission of violence leads to more violence. 


AJI Indonesia and other members of the coalition thus call for an open and thorough investigation into the case. A thorough investigation into crimes against journalists is an obligation of all countries, without which will pave the way for impunity. Impunity is still a common practice in Indonesia and other countries across Southeast Asia. 


In addition to AJI Indonesia, the coalition consists of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), the Gerakan Media Merdeka (Malaysia), and the Association of Journalists of Timor Leste (AJTL).


The coalition urges the Indonesian government to show a strong commitment to end violence against journalists. Unpunished crimes will cause widespread fear and impunity, and hamper Indonesia’s democracy. 



Signed by:


Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Indonesia), National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Free Media Movement (Malaysia), and Association of Journalists of Timor Leste (AJTL).