The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the brutal murder of an Indonesian journalist in East Java.

Herliyanto, 38, was found stabbed to death on April 29, 2006, only days before the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day.

Although it is unconfirmed whether Herliyanto’s murder was directly related to his work as a journalist, it has been revealed that Herliyanto was actively reporting on the corruption of local officials and according to colleagues had uncovered the misuse of funding for the Compensations of the Poor and the Funds for School Operation (BOS) in a village in the East Java province.

There were also reports of the victim being followed by six motorcycles before his death, and his camera and notebook were missing from the scene of the crime. The police are still in the process of conducting an autopsy and questioning witnesses.

The IFJ’s affiliate the Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI) has formed a fact-finding mission to conduct an independent investigation into Herliyanto’s murder and its connection with his reporting.

“On behalf of the IFJ I offer my sincerest condolences to Herliyanto’s family and colleagues,” said IFJ president Christopher Warren. “Violence against journalists can not be tolerated, and we support AJI in their investigations” he said.

The IFJ calls upon the Indonesian Government to put an end to journalist killings by giving journalists the safeguards they deserve.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries