East Timor: IFJ demands action over killing of journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for immediate action to be taken against the Indonesian military personnel responsible for killing five foreign journalists and cameramen in 1975.

New South Wales Deputy State Coroner Dorrelle Pinch said today, after an investigation into the deaths, that Indonesian special forces deliberately killed the five men during Indonesia’s invasion into East Timor, then known as Portuguese Timor, on October 16, 1975. The five men killed were Gary Cunningham, Brian Peters, Malcolm Rennie, Greg Shackleton, and Tony Stewart.

“The IFJ calls on the Australian Government to act on the coroner’s recommendation and seek prosecution of the Indonesian military officers responsible,” said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park.

Park also called on Indonesia’s Government to acknowledge the coroner’s report or conduct its own inquiry into the deaths of the men.

“For too long the Indonesian authorities have claimed that the five Australian journalists were caught in crossfire. Today’s finding confirms that they were deliberately killed to prevent legitimate reporting of the invasion,” Park said.

“The Indonesian Government must take immediate action against the officers responsible.”

The IFJ deplores the killings and extends its sympathy to the families of the journalists killed while doing their jobs.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in more than 120 countries

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