29 April 2006
Herliyanto
Knife attack
A local tabloid journalist in East Java was murdered on April 29, three days before the commemoration on World Press Freedom Day, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reported.
Herliyanto, 38, was found dead in a forest near Tarokan, a village near the town of Banyuanyar, Probolinggo District. Police believe that he was stabbed to death. Initial police investigation revealed that before the murder, Herliyanto was followed by six people riding motorcycles. Some peculiarities were also noted like the victim’s motorcycle was found not far from the body but his camera and notebook were missing. Herliyanto’s murder is believed to be work-related.
According to a TV 7 investigation, he was actively reporting on corruption in the administration of subsidies for the poor and school funding in Tulupari (a village in the town of Tiris, also in Probolinggo District) before his death. Some of his colleagues testified that they had received a brief text message from Herliyanto’s mobile phone saying funds were being misused in Tulupari, which was in an area he covered for his newspaper.
