The head of United Nations culture organisation on Friday deplored the murder of journalists Maratua Siregar and Maraden Sianipar whose bodies were found in North Sumatra, Indonesia in late October.
“I condemn the killings of Maraden Sianipar and Maratua Siregar,” said Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay.
“I trust that the authorities will pursue the investigation of these murders and bring their perpetrators to trial. Justice must be mobilized to stop violent attacks on journalists whose work is essential to both democracy and rule of law.”
On Tuesday, media reports cited police as saying they had arrested two suspects and were seeking four more over the killings of Siregar and Sianipar, whose bodies were found near a palm oil plantation in Labuhan Batu district on 30 and 31 October respectively.
Both men were freelancers who were reportedly mediating a land dispute between residents and a palm oil company. Their corpses were reportedly covered in stab wounds.
Prior to their deaths, Siregar and Sianipar were working on a campaign to convince the government to allow locals to work on disputed land.
Indonesian journalist associations condemned the deaths and demanded authorities investigate thoroughly.
Many cases of violence against journalists in Indonesia go unsolved, according to a local press freedom watchdog, the Independent Journalists Alliance, which has reported at least two dozen cases this year alone.
