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Chicken heads sent to Indonesian news outlet after threats over coverage of Papua documentary

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Chicken heads sent to Indonesian news outlet after threats over coverage of Papua documentary

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Jakarta, June 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the repeated harassment of Indonesian news site Floresa following its coverage of an investigative documentary about deforestation in Papua province caused by aggressive agribusiness expansion.

On June 5, a Floresa journalist discovered three rotten chicken heads outside the outlet’s office in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, in an act of intimidation that echoed the severed pig’s head delivered to leading independent news outlet Tempo last year. On the same day, eggs were thrown at a coffee shop operated by Floresa next door.

The incidents followed threatening text message sent last month to editor-in-chief Ryan Dagur Flores, Floresa said.

“The threats against Floresa are a frightening reminder of the intimidation Indonesian journalists regularly face,” said CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Authorities must take action to show this type of harassment is unacceptable, and ensure a free and tolerant environment for the press that’s consistent with the country’s reputation as a vibrant democracy.”

Floresa editor Anno Susabun said he suspected the threats were related to recent stories about the documentary film “Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita” (Pesta Babi: Colonialism in Our Time), which spotlights indigenous communities resisting the environmental and cultural impact of state-backed agricultural projects in Papua.

The documentary, which has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube, has triggered backlash and censorship from Indonesian authorities, while the filmmakers have faced intimidation and harassment. Screenings of the film have been held in about 800 locations around Indonesia and at least 50 of them have been disbanded, mostly by the military.

Susabun told CPJ that, on May 13, Flores received a threatening WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be from the National Police’s Cybercrime Directorate. The message contained Flores’ personal data, including his home address and recent location, and demanded that all social media content related to the Pesta Babi articles be taken down. Fearing for his safety, Flores temporarily relocated from Labuan Bajo, Susabun said.

In March last year, a pig’s head and decapitated rats were delivered to a Tempo journalist after her critical reporting on revisions to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law.

The East Nusa Tenggara Police and the Indonesian National Police did not reply to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.

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I have received all your support and blessings. ************ Because I don’t want everyone to worry too much, and I don’t want the focus to be lost, I’m sharing these feelings that have been weighing on my mind since the trial: Several years ago, I made a documentary with friends, trying to visualise the issue of torture by inviting Hong Kong friends to experience the various forms of torture suffered by protesters in China, so that it wouldn’t just remain a “tragedy” on paper. The “torture” depicted in the film was designed and researched by me. I thought I had some understanding of the subject, but only in the last couple of days have I realised I was a completely incompetent “torture officer” back then. I knew absolutely nothing about inflicting physical pain. It’s true that some things are impossible to comprehend no matter how much you read about them; you have to experience them firsthand. 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