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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to fulfill his campaign promise to allow local and international journalists to work in West Papua (the Indonesian half of New Guinea) without hindrance or surveillance. RSF has called on Indonesia to take action after it expelled two French photographers, including Basile Longchamp, on March 17 for visa violations.
Longchamp and his colleagues arrived in Indonesia in February, accompanied by a film crew, to obtain government approval for a documentary that would be filmed in West Papua. However, soon after arriving, authorities accused them of a “lack of coordination with relevant agencies” – resulting in their deportation and temporary ban from returning to Indonesia.
“We remind the Indonesian president of his commitment to lift restrictions on foreign journalists and cameramen working in West Papua,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, head of Reporters Without Borders’ Asia-Pacific department. “Indonesia is set to host World Press Freedom Day celebrations on May 3, but given its repeated denials of journalist visas and growing number of journalists on its blacklist, the country falls far short of being a country that supports free speech and a free press.”
In July 2014, during his presidential campaign, Jokowi said he would allow journalists to visit West Papua freely, raising hopes for the restoration of media freedom in the region.
January 2016, Reporters Without Borders condemns Indonesian government’s refusal to Let French journalists Cyril Payen After visiting Indonesia France 24 He played a documentary he had just shot about West Papua, titled “The Forgotten Papua War.”
Payan, a Southeast Asian journalist based in Bangkok, had obtained all necessary authorizations before visiting West Papua in mid-2015. The broadcast of the documentary also led to the French ambassador being summoned to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Indonesian immigration law, Reporters Without Borders has repeatedly condemnedTwo British journalists, Rebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner, Sentenced to two and a half months in prison on November 3, 2015 They were detained for violating the terms of their visas. When they were finally sentenced, they had been in police custody for more than 150 days.
Two French journalists, Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, Arrested They were arrested in August 2014 while preparing a report in West Papua. After being held for more than two months, they were sentenced to two and a half months in prison on 24 October 2014 for violating immigration laws.
Indonesia ranks 130th out of 180 countries Reporters Without Borders 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
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