JAKARTA. Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) has said that freedom of the press declined last year and would most likely continue to as there were still a number of bills to be debated this year that posed a threat to press freedom.

One of the bills is the contempt of court bill, which is expected to be passed into law this year as it is part of the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).

“Several provisions in the bill threaten [the freedom of the press]. For example, if someone is suspected to have defamed a judge, he can be sentenced to 10 years in prison. If we criticize a judge’s decision, according to the bill, we can be arrested,” LBH Pers executive director Nawawi Bahrudin told thejakartapost.com on Thursday.

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He said that the draft bill did not deserve to be adopted as law.

Nawawi also criticized the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law amendment bill, which regulates defamation and has also been included in the 2016 Prolegnas.

He said that the nation’s bad record on press freedom could also be seen in the number of reported threats and attacks against journalists.

Based on LBH Pers data, there were 47 violent acts committed against journalists in 2015, 12 of which were committed by the police.

These attacks against journalists have included beatings, intimidation and the destruction of journalists’ working tools.

LBH Pers said that the organization would talk to relevant institutions to increase their appreciation of the work of journalists.

“This year, we plan to visit the institutions that we believe have a duty to ensure the safety of journalists, such as press organizations, the Press Council and also the police,” Nawawi said. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)