An Indonesian investigative journalist, Francisca Christy Rosana, received a pig's head in a box at her office, sparking fears of a new era of intimidation against the press in the world's third-largest democracy. The grisly gift was the first in a series of threats targeting Tempo media, including six decapitated rats wrapped in rose-adorned paper sent to its Jakarta office.
Francisca, a host of Tempo's popular podcast Bocor Alus Politik, has written about electoral and judicial scandals and the controversial revision of military law. She believes the threats are linked to her critical reporting. The pig's head, with ears cut off, and the rats are seen as symbolic: pork is considered haram in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, and the six rats may target the six podcast hosts.
Presidential spokesperson Hasan Nasbi initially suggested the journalist "just cook it," but later clarified that Indonesia remains committed to press freedom and that police are investigating. The threats come weeks after President Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander, stated that some media had been infiltrated by "foreign interests."
Experts warn that a flippant response could signal that journalists are legitimate targets. The Committee to Protect Journalists described the threats as a "dangerous and deliberate act of intimidation," while Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists called it a "symbolic death threat."
