2 activist journalists stabbed to death in Indonesia

MEDAN, Indonesia - Two Indonesian journalists mediating a land dispute between a palm oil company and residents have been found dead with multiple stab wounds near a plantation in Sumatra, police said.

The body of Mr Maraden Sianipar was found last Wednesday (Oct 30) in a ditch near a palm plantation in Labuhan Batu district, an eight-hour drive from the capital of North Sumatra province.

Police found the remains of Mr Maratua Siregar in the same area a day later.

Both bodies were covered in stab wounds.

Six people have been questioned, but no suspect named, local police chief Agus Darojat told AFP.

The pair worked together for a local news portal before going freelance in 2017.

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A friend of Mr Siregar said the victims had recently become known for their activism in land dispute issues.

Prior to their deaths, Mr Siregar and Mr Sianipar were working on a campaign to convince the government to allow locals to work on disputed land.

Indonesian journalists associations condemned the deaths and demanded the authorities investigate thoroughly.

Many cases of violence against journalists in Indonesia go unsolved, according to the Independent Journalists Alliance, which has reported at least two dozen cases this year alone.

Indonesia is ranked 124th out of 180 countries on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.