CPJ, CIVICUS urge Indonesian president to stop undermining press freedom ahead of 2-year mark in office

Jakarta, October 15, 2026—Ahead of the second anniversary of the administration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the Committee to Protect Journalists and CIVICUS urge the government to end practices that undermine press freedom, a pillar of democracy. The Indonesian government must take concrete action in protecting journalists, ending impunity, and fostering the conditions necessary for independent journalism. 

Since Prabowo took office on October 20, 2024, CPJ and CIVICUS have been concerned how journalists in Indonesia continue to face various forms of violence, censorship, stigmatization, legal threats, and impunity.

“President Prabowo’s administration should take the second anniversary as an opportunity to demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that journalists in Indonesia can report without fear of violence, intimidation, and legal retaliation,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific director. “Independent, critical journalism is vital in the world’s third-largest democracy.”

“The targeting of journalists by the Prabowo government is inconsistent with Indonesia’s human rights obligations to respect press freedom and freedom of expression. The government must review and amend all laws used to criminalise journalists, ensure that all violations against them are investigated and perpetrators brought to justice,” said Josef Benedict, CIVICUS Asia Pacific Researcher.

Indonesia has enjoyed press freedom since the enactment of the 1999 Press Law, which protects press freedom and provides for an independent Press Council to resolve disputes over news coverage. However, the country has a poor record of addressing impunity for murders and violence against journalists — particularly in cases involving the alleged  participation of members of state institutions. 

Since 1992, 14 journalists have been killed in Indonesia. Of the nine cases in which journalists were murdered in direct retaliation for their work, eight remain marked by partial or complete impunity. In the case of journalist Rico Pasaribu, who was murdered on June 27, 2024, authorities have failed to thoroughly investigate the alleged involvement of a soldier, Cpl. Herman Bukit, according to CPJ’s June 2026 investigative report. Bukit allegedly owned an illegal gambling operation that Pasaribu had exposed before his killing.

Journalists have continued to face intimidation under the Prabowo administration, including the delivery of a severed pig’s head and dead rats to the Jakarta office of Tempo as well as a lawsuit by the Agriculture Ministry against the independent news outlet. A number of journalists also faced physical assaults while covering protests in March and August 2025, and again in April 2026.  

CPJ and CIVICUS also expressed concern over the president’s continued attempts to label journalists and media outlets critical of his administration as “londo ireng,” or black Dutchman, a term used to describe Indonesians who collaborated with the Dutch during the independence struggle. Foreign agent allegations against journalists risk inciting violence against members of the press and create a chilling effect for legitimate public interest reporting. 

Indonesia also has several laws that could be weaponized to silence journalists, including the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and the new Criminal Code. The enactment of Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025, which requires foreign journalists to obtain police clearance before reporting in the country, further restricts the ability of foreign journalists to cover regions in Indonesia where human rights violations occur, such as Papua.

The proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Law, currently under debate in the House of Representatives, would add to the growing body of legislation threatening press freedom in the digital sphere.

CPJ and CIVICUS urge Prabowo’s administration to:

1. Prosecute those involved in the killings of, and violence against, journalists to uphold the rule of law and end impunity.

2. Stop vilifying journalists or media outlets, cease all forms of intimidation, and respect critical reporting as a check on government power and a means of ensuring accountability.

3. Prevent the misuse of criminal and civil laws against journalists and newsrooms by establishing safeguards against strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

4. Strengthen compliance by all parties with the Press Law’s procedures for resolving disputes over news coverage.