Wartawati Australia, Candace Sutton Terancam di Deportasi
Candace Sutton, Australian Journalist Detained in Indonesia
Reporter : Rusdi Kamal
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Jakarta (B2B) - Seorang wartawati Daily Mail Australia, Candace Sutton terancam dideportasi dari Indonesia karena diduga melanggar Undang-Undang Keimigrasian saat meliput persiapan eksekusi terpidana mati di Pulau Nusakambangan, Cilacap, Jawa Tengah. Hingga saat ini, sang wartawati itu masih menjalani pemeriksaan di Kantor Imigrasi Cilacap.
"Kami telah mengamankan seorang jurnalis Daily Mail, Australia, karena diduga tidak dilengkapi surat rekomendasi dari Kementerian Luar Negeri, hanya menggunakan visa kunjungan saja," kata Kepala Subseksi Informasi dan Komunikasi Kantor Imigrasi Cilacap Adithia P. Barus di Cilacap, Kamis (26/2).
Disinggung kemungkinan wartawati itu akan dideportasi seperti yang dialami dua jurnalis asing asal Brasil dan Peru ketika meliput persiapan eksekusi tahap pertama pada 18 Januari 2015, dia mengaku belum bisa memastikan. Menurut Adhitia, hal itu tergantung dari hasil pemeriksaan yang nantinya akan disampaikan ke Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi di Jakarta.
Menurut informasi, Candace Sutton didatangi petugas Kantor Imigrasi Cilacap di hotel tempat wartawati itu menginap pada Rabu (25/2) malam karena diduga hanya menggunakan visa kunjungan dalam melakukan kegiatan jurnalistik.
Sementara itu, di Dermaga Wijayapura yang merupakan tempat penyeberangan menuju Pulau Nusakambangan, petugas Kantor Imigrasi Cilacap tampak memeriksa kelengkap surat-surat sejumlah wartawan asing yang meliput persiapan eksekusi terpidana mati. Kendati demikian, surat-surat yang dibawa beberapa wartawan itu lengkap karena mereka telah mengantongi rekomendasi dari Kementerian Luar Negeri untuk melakukan kegiatan jurnalistik di Indonesia.
Sebelumnya, Kantor Imigrasi Cilacap mengamankan dua wartawan asing karena melakukan kegiatan jurnalistik tanpa dilengkapi surat izin atau rekomendasi yang sesuai dengan ketentuan perundang-undangan saat meliput persiapan eksekusi mati tahap pertama yang dilaksanakan pada 18 Januari 2015.
Dua wartawan asing yang diketahui bernama Gomes Marcio berkebangsaan Brasil dan Geovanne Percy Saima Guerrero berkebangsaan Peru hanya memiliki izin kunjungan sehingga mereka dideportasi ke negara asalnya. (Antara)
Jakarta (B2B) - Australian journalist Candace Sutton of Daily Mail was held for allegedly violating immigration law while covering preparations for the execution of death convicts in Nusakambangan, Central Java.
"We have held a Daily Mail journalist from Australia for not being in possession of any recommendation letter from the foreign ministry but only a visit visa," head of the Sub-Section of Information and Communication of the Immigration Office in Cilacap, Adithia P Barus, said here on Thursday.
He said so far, the journalist was being interrogated at the immigration office.
When asked about possible deportation of the journalist as had happened in case of those from Brazil and Peru who were also caught covering preparations for the execution of the first batch of death convicts on January 18, Barus said he was not in a position to confirm it.
He said it would all depend upon the result of the interrogation that would be presented to the Directorate General of Immigration in Jakarta.
"We do not want to act ahead as she is still under interrogation," he said.
On Wednesday evening, an immigration official came to the hotel where Candace Sutton was staying after receiving information that she had been carrying out journalistic activity while being on a visit visa.
Immigration officers were seen checking documents of a number of foreign journalists covering execution preparations at the Wijayapura pier ferry service.
Some journalists carried complete documents including recommendation letters from the foreign ministry for carrying out journalistic activities in Indonesia.
Before the first execution of foreign drug convicts on January 18, 2015, the Cilacap immigration office had held two foreign journalists for not having recommendations for conducting journalistic activities as required by the law.
The two journalists were Gomes Marcio from Brazil and Geovanne Percy Saima Guerrero from Peru. Both only had visit permits and were deported to their countries of origin after they were interrogated at the immigration office.
