The Gorontalo Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) condemned the obstruction of journalistic work by Gorontalo Police officers on Tuesday (3/10/2023).

The act of obstruction occurred when journalists from Tribun, Antara, and Dulohupa were covering the case of the death of one of IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo's freshmen, which the family and their attorney wanted to report to the Gorontalo Police.

While taking photos and videos, a number of journalists were suddenly prohibited from taking pictures or covering inside the SPKT office of the Gorontalo Police.

Because of this treatment, the journalists decided not to record or take pictures anymore and chose to leave the SPKT room. They were forced to sit outside the building while waiting for the victim's family to report.

Some time later, after the victim's family lawyer left the SPKT room, the journalists returned to conduct interviews. During the interview, the police officer suddenly prohibited the journalists from recording and asked for the recording to be deleted.

Journalists were prohibited from taking pictures with the SPKT building in the background. The officer asked the journalists to conduct the interview elsewhere, and asked not to take the writing or the SPKT building.

The reason was because he was worried that there would be public misunderstanding in understanding the news. Another reason given by the police officer was that the report from the citizen being covered by the journalist was not yet clear.

Wawan Akuba, Chairman of AJI Gorontalo condemned the action. According to him, freedom of the press is not limited by the clarity of the report. Journalists have the right to cover an event, whether it is a clear event or an unclear event.

In addition, the actions of the police officers were also intimidating. The police officer clearly prohibited journalists from taking pictures or recording in the SPKT area with an arrogant tone.

"This can cause fear and anxiety for journalists in carrying out their duties," said Wawan.