COMMENTARY: President Joko Widodo’s announcement in May 2015 that Indonesia would allow foreign journalists to have access to West Papua was widely, but cautiously, welcomed. Some journalists decided to have another attempt at getting into this region, long cordoned off to outside access. The labyrinthine process of applying for a journalist visa was a warning that change does not happen overnight for West Papua media freedom. On the ground, it is a risky business for a journalist covering West Papua. Local independent journalists, especially, face regular threats. The attackers are empowered by the knowledge that there is no formal accountability processes over intimidation and the murder of journalists or media workers. However, there appears to be a genuine hope that President Jokowi’s term in office represents a small window of opportunity for improvement for Papua. The handling of journalists and media freedom in West Papua is very much a test case for this. Watch this space.

中文翻译：

---

看着这个空间，西巴布亚

评论：佐科·维多多总统于 2015 年 5 月宣布印度尼西亚将允许外国记者进入西巴布亚，受到广泛但谨慎的欢迎。一些记者决定再次尝试进入这个长期封锁外部访问的地区。申请记者签证的复杂过程警告说，西巴布亚媒体自由不会在一夜之间发生变化。在实地，对于报道西巴布亚的记者来说，这是一项冒险的工作。当地的独立记者尤其经常面临威胁。攻击者知道没有正式的问责程序来处理恐吓和谋杀记者或媒体工作者的行为。然而，似乎真切希望佐科维总统的任期为巴布亚提供了一个改进机会的小窗口。西巴布亚对记者和媒体自由的处理在很大程度上是一个测试案例。关注此空间。