Chair of ASWIN Central Advisory Board Urges Prabowo Subianto to Rescue Journalists Detained by Israel

MIDDLE EAST -aswinnews.com- The arrest of two Indonesian journalists on a humanitarian mission to Gaza has become a major focus for both national and international press. According to various media reports, the two journalists, Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai, were reportedly detained by the Israeli military while participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian voyage on May 18, 2026.

The incident reportedly occurred in international waters when the aid flotilla carrying logistics, medicine, and international volunteers was intercepted by the Israeli military. The group included nine Indonesian citizens, including two Republika journalists who were carrying out journalistic duties as part of the humanitarian mission.

Aceng Syamsul Hadie, Chair of the ASWIN Central Advisory Board (Association of International Journalists), urged Prabowo Subianto to take decisive diplomatic and political action following the arrest of the two Indonesian journalists by the Israeli military while on an international humanitarian mission to Gaza.

“The incident involving these two journalists is not merely a case of ordinary citizens being detained. It directly touches on issues of international law, press freedom, human rights, and Indonesia’s dignity on the world stage,” said Aceng Syamsul Hadie, S.Sos., MM, also known as ASH, Chair of the ASWIN Central Advisory Board (Association of International Journalists), on Tuesday, 19/05/2026.

ASH explained that academically and juridically, the interception of a humanitarian aid vessel in international waters is a serious issue that cannot be viewed merely as a routine security operation. From the perspective of international maritime law, particularly the principles contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), international waters are not territory that can be unilaterally controlled by any state without a valid legal basis. When a civilian vessel carrying humanitarian volunteers, medicine, and journalists is forcibly intercepted outside territorial jurisdiction, there is a strong presumption of a violation of the principles of freedom of international navigation and the protection of humanitarian missions.

Furthermore, ASH stated that the presence of the two Indonesian journalists on the mission has a very important legal dimension. Press freedom in Indonesia is explicitly guaranteed under Article 28F of the 1945 Constitution and reinforced by Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press. The state has a constitutional obligation to protect Indonesian journalists carrying out their journalistic duties, both domestically and abroad. In the international context, protection for journalists is also guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which affirm the right to freedom of expression and access to information.

“The arrest of journalists while covering a humanitarian mission can be seen as a threat to the independence of the global press. If such actions are left without a strong diplomatic response, it will create a dangerous precedent that journalists can be treated as political or military targets when reporting on humanitarian conflicts. In a modern democracy, the press is not an enemy of the state, but an instrument of civilization that ensures the world knows the humanitarian facts on the ground,” he added.

Therefore, the Chair of the ASWIN Central Advisory Board believes that the Indonesian government should not stop at normative statements or passive diplomacy. President Prabowo Subianto must demonstrate firm and authoritative geopolitical leadership. Indonesia is a large country with a strategic position in the Islamic world, a G20 member, and one of the largest democracies in the world. This moment is a test of whether Indonesia can truly emerge as an international moral force that consistently defends humanity and press freedom.

ASH emphasized that it is time for Indonesia to “show its teeth” on the international stage—not in the sense of military aggression, but in the form of diplomatic courage, firmness in foreign policy, and consistency in upholding international law. The government must immediately use all instruments of bilateral diplomacy, the United Nations channels, and other international forums to demand the release of the two Indonesian journalists and ensure the safety of all Indonesian humanitarian volunteers.

“If the state fails to protect its own journalists on the international stage, what is at stake is not just the safety of two members of the press, but also the honor of the constitution, the dignity of the nation, and Indonesia’s credibility as a state governed by law that upholds democracy and universal humanity,” he concluded.

Source: ASH
Editor: Editorial Team