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The Indonesian government has long restricted access to the provinces of Papua and West Papua for foreign correspondents and observers due to concerns about their motivations in the region troubled by dissent and an independence movement. President Joko Widodo announced in 2015 that these restrictions would be lifted, but parts of the government are resisting change. The report analyzes the government's role in obstructing access to Papua and developments since Widodo's announcement through over 107 interviews. It examines threats to media freedom in Papua for those reporting on political and human rights issues. Barriers to access remain entrenched with opaque screening processes leaving applicants banned or in limbo. A genuine opening requires sustained efforts like ensuring access through a presidential instruction and investigating

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78 views81 pages

Indonesia1115final 0 PDF

The Indonesian government has long restricted access to the provinces of Papua and West Papua for foreign correspondents and observers due to concerns about their motivations in the region troubled by dissent and an independence movement. President Joko Widodo announced in 2015 that these restrictions would be lifted, but parts of the government are resisting change. The report analyzes the government's role in obstructing access to Papua and developments since Widodo's announcement through over 107 interviews. It examines threats to media freedom in Papua for those reporting on political and human rights issues. Barriers to access remain entrenched with opaque screening processes leaving applicants banned or in limbo. A genuine opening requires sustained efforts like ensuring access through a presidential instruction and investigating

Uploaded by

Cosmin M-escu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | november 2015

SOMETHING TO HIDE?
Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom and Rights Monitoring in Papua

The Indonesian government has long restricted visits by foreign correspondents and other international observers to the eastern-
most provinces of Papua and West Papua. These access restrictions—fueled by government suspicion about the motivations of
foreign nationals in a region troubled by widespread public discontent and a small but persistent pro-independence insurgency—
have severely limited in-depth media coverage of Papua. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, an-
nounced on May 10, 2015, that the government would immediately lift the restrictions on foreign journalists, but parts of the
government are strongly resisting change.

Something to Hide?: Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom and Rights Monitoring in Papua analyzes the government’s role
in obstructing access to Papua and traces developments since Jokowi’s announcement. It is based on more than 107 interviews
with journalists, editors, publishers, representatives of domestic and international nongovernmental organizations, and academ-
ics. The report also examines how threats to media freedom in Papua extend to Papuan and other Indonesian journalists, who
are vulnerable to harassment, intimidation, and violence for reporting on sensitive political topics and human rights abuses.

The past experience of foreign journalists, international organizations, and United Nations experts show that barriers to access
to Papua are entrenched, with layers of government screening often leaving applicants in bureaucratic limbo or effectively banned.
Since Jokowi announced that foreign media restrictions would be lifted, other officials have suggested the opposite, and the sit-
uation remains opaque and unpredictable. The report concludes that a genuine opening of Papua needs more sustained and rig-
orous follow-through by the Jokowi administration, including the issuance of a written Presidential Instruction ensuring access to
Papua and more rigorous investigation of threats, harassment, and violence against journalists there.

Indonesia | Something to Hide?


Cartoonist’s depiction of Indonesian government
H U M A N
restrictions on media freedom and rights
monitoring in Papua.
R I G H T S
SOMETHING TO HIDE?
© 2015 Toni Malakian for Human Rights Watch
Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom
W A T C H and Rights Monitoring in Papua

hrw.org









HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | november 2015
SOMETHING TO HIDE?
Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom and Rights Monitoring in Papua

The Indonesian government has long restricted visits by foreign correspondents and other international observers to the eastern-
most provinces of Papua and West Papua. These access restrictions—fueled by government suspicion about the motivations of
foreign nationals in a region troubled by widespread public discontent and a small but persistent pro-independence insurgency—
have severely limited in-depth media coverage of Papua. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, an-
nounced on May 10, 2015, that the government would immediately lift the restrictions on foreign journalists, but parts of the
government are strongly resisting change.

Something to Hide?: Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom and Rights Monitoring in Papua analyzes the government’s role
in obstructing access to Papua and traces developments since Jokowi’s announcement. It is based on more than 107 interviews
with journalists, editors, publishers, representatives of domestic and international nongovernmental organizations, and academ-
ics. The report also examines how threats to media freedom in Papua extend to Papuan and other Indonesian journalists, who
are vulnerable to harassment, intimidation, and violence for reporting on sensitive political topics and human rights abuses.

The past experience of foreign journalists, international organizations, and United Nations experts show that barriers to access
to Papua are entrenched, with layers of government screening often leaving applicants in bureaucratic limbo or effectively banned.
Since Jokowi announced that foreign media restrictions would be lifted, other officials have suggested the opposite, and the sit-
uation remains opaque and unpredictable. The report concludes that a genuine opening of Papua needs more sustained and rig-
orous follow-through by the Jokowi administration, including the issuance of a written Presidential Instruction ensuring access to
Papua and more rigorous investigation of threats, harassment, and violence against journalists there.

Indonesia | Something to Hide?


Cartoonist’s depiction of Indonesian government
H U M A N
restrictions on media freedom and rights
monitoring in Papua.
R I G H T S
SOMETHING TO HIDE?
© 2015 Toni Malakian for Human Rights Watch
Indonesia’s Restrictions on Media Freedom
W A T C H and Rights Monitoring in Papua

hrw.org

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