Covering Demonstration, Two Journalists in Bandung Experienced Violence

Two journalists in Bandung experienced violence while covering riots at the Dago Elos housing complex, Bandung City, on Monday evening, August 14 2023.

That day, a number of residents protested over a land dispute with a company that claimed to have bought some of the land in the housing complex.

Previously, residents and their legal team came to the Bandung Polrestabes to report allegations of document falsification by the company claiming the land.

However, the residents' report was rejected by the police, because they had not fulfilled the proof of land ownership.

The residents then returned home. Some time later residents staged a demonstration and blocked Dago Street because they were disappointed. The situation then turned chaotic when the police dispersed the residents' demonstration and fired tear gas.

Bandung Bergerak journalist, Awla Rajul and Radar Bandung journalist, Agung Eko Sutrisno were present at the location to report. Due to increasingly chaotic conditions, the journalists ran to residents' homes.

The police came to the resident's house and arrested and asked for Rajul's identity. Rajul answered that he was a journalist. However, the police hit Rajul in the stomach, thighs and arms. The journalist's hair was then pulled and he was punched in the head.

Rajul was then taken by the police to another location. When he was taken away, the police hit and grabbed the journalist's hair, then threatened him with "kill or be killed".

Radar Bandung journalist, Agung Eko Sutrisno, was also hit on the shoulder by the police. At that time, Eko was able to run and took shelter in a resident's house.