TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) backs the Indonesia National Police’s efforts to conduct a thorough investigation into the terror case targeting Tempo. IPW Chairman Sugeng Teguh Santoso stressed that authorities must take this case seriously and uncover the mastermind behind the attack.
"If this act of terror remains unresolved, there is a risk that intimidation, terror tactics, and even violence against the press and critical civil society will continue," Sugeng said in a press release received by Tempo on Monday, March 24, 2025.
IPW asserts that the police’s determination in solving this case will serve as a test of the state's commitment to safeguarding press freedom. Sugeng warned that if left unaddressed, such acts of terror could pose a severe threat to journalism in Indonesia.
Therefore, IPW urges the police to act swiftly and not only arrest the perpetrators in the field but also those behind the act of terror.
"This is not just about Tempo, this is about press freedom that must be safeguarded. The police must find the mastermind and thoroughly investigate this case," said Sugeng.
Previously, the Indonesia National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) together with the Jakarta Metro Police had inspected the scene of the alleged pig's head terror at the Tempo office. The police gathered information by checking the surveillance cameras at the office.
"The police have taken initial investigative steps to collect the necessary information and statements," said Head of the Police Public Relations Bureau's Division, Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, in a written statement on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
Truno mentioned that this investigation was a follow-up to Tempo's report on the alleged criminal threats and attempts to obstruct journalistic work. Tempo's Editor-in-Chief, Setri Yasra, along with the Journalist Safety Committee, reported the pig's head terror incident to Bareskrim Polri on Friday, March 21, 2025.
According to Truno, the terror is still under police investigation. He said that the investigators are still gathering evidence to be used in the subsequent legal process. "The follow-up plan includes clarifying witnesses and completing the formal administrative requirements for the investigation," said Truno.
Setri Yasra, Tempo's Editor-in-Chief, considered the pig's head terror a serious threat, not only to Tempo as a media institution, but also to the journalism profession and press freedom in Indonesia.
"This is not just about Tempo. Today, it might be Tempo, but in the future, all journalists could face threats. The state must step in to provide protection," said Setri to reporters after filing a report with Bareskrim on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Setri emphasized that investigating this act of terror would set an important precedent for upholding the law against threats to press freedom. "Right now, the republic is not in good shape. We must ensure that journalism remains protected by law. Journalists work in the public interest," she stated.
The Tempo office received a package containing a pig's head on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The head was placed inside a cardboard box lined with Styrofoam and addressed to Cica, the nickname of Francisca Christy Rosana, a journalist on Tempo’s political desk and host of the Bocor Alus Politik podcast.
A day after reporting the incident to the Indonesia National Police Headquarters, Tempo was again targeted in the early hours of Saturday, March 22, 2025, this time with a box containing six decapitated rat carcasses.
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