International Press Freedom Day, on 3 May 2026, was unfortunately marked by various issues related to the narrowing and restrictions on press freedom in Indonesia. A series of incidents of harassment against journalists occurred close together, both before and after the press day:
- Journalists covering a protest in front of the East Kalimantan Governor’s office in Samarinda on 21 April 2026 faced intimidation from the authorities who seized their mobile phones and forcefully deleted recorded news data.
- On 28 April 2026, a journalist in Medan was forcefully taken from a cafe by individuals suspected to be Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) members. During the incident, he was pressured to make a clarification video regarding his report on an alleged illegal condensate oil business that reportedly involved the military.
- On 12 May 2026, a Central Kalimantan journalist received a threatening message, suspected to having been sent by the Cyber Crimes Directorate of the National Police. The message threatened that the journalist would suffer the same fate as Andrie Yunus, who was attacked with acid, if he didn’t delete a social media post inviting to watch the documentary “Pesta Babi”.
In addition to the series of cases mentioned above, there are rising numbers of threats, intimidation, and criminalization against journalists, involving environmental issues, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, and other topics. There have been repeated reports at the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 of journalists being pressured to report positively on the government and of selective invitation of journalists to cover the President, excluding access for others. Pressure has been primarily exerted through Cabinet Secretary Teddy, who at times has allegedly threatened media outlets that reported critically on the government. Similarly, criminalization cases against indigenous community journalists have been increasing, as denounced by the Association of Indigenous Journalists of the Archipelago (AJMAN). This trend aligns with the rising number of land-grabbing cases involving indigenous territories in various regions.
As a result of the rise of harassment cases and increasing use of the IT law against journalists, Indonesia has fallen to 129th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ Global Press Freedom Index. This regression indicates a systemic environment where institutional safeguards for media personnel are weakening, attacks are usually met with impunity, and self-censorship is on the rise. The increasing involvement of the military in civilian spaces is impacting the worsening situation of press freedom as well as an overall deteriorating environment for civil society. Over time, investigative journalism regarding state corruption, military-backed businesses, or multi-billion-dollar strategic programs will completely dry up, rendering the media a passive mouthpiece for the powerful.