02 Dec 09 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Indonesia’s censorship board has banned an Australian-made film about the alleged murder five journalists by Indonesian troops during the 1975 invasion of East Timor. The ruling came just hours before a planned premiere screening of Balibo was due to take place forcing organisers to cancel. Jakarta maintains they were killed accidentally in cross-fire however in 2007 an Australian coroner concluded that the journalists had been executed. A sixth Australian journalist was killed in Dili shortly afterwards while investigating the deaths. Read more here
11 Sep 09 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned that diplomatic ties with Australia “may be harmed” by a war crimes inquiry into the deaths of five journalists killed in East Timor in 1975. Recent investigations have indicated that senior Indonesian officials may have been behind the deaths, which is also claimed in a recent film, Balibo. The Indonesian military have called for the Indonesian censorship board to ban the film.
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15 Jul 09 | Index Index, minipost
On 10 July, an Indonesian logging company detained three members of a French television news crew in Jambi province, Sumatra. Ciryl Payen, the Southeast Asia bureau chief for the France 24 television station, Gilaume Martin and Dewi Arilaha were apprehended by security officers from PT Lontar Papirup Pulp and Papers, while they were filming trucks loaded with logs parked at the company’s premises in Tebing Tinggi. The company’s head of security, Eriyanto, also seized their video tapes. The three journalists were then taken to the local police station. The police, however, could not think of an appropriate charge to file against them. Despite this, Eriyanto continued to detain them, saying they took video footage of the company’s property without seeking permission.
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16 Apr 09 | News and features
The Supreme Court of Indonesia has overturned a £62 million libel ruling against Time magazine relating to claims that the late President Suharto had amassed a fortune through corruption. Index on Censorship and other media organisations and NGOs made representations in what was seen as a crucial free expression case.
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