British Journalists Freed From Indonesian Jail Say UK Treated Them Like Criminals

7/24/2019 British Journalists Freed From Indonesian Jail Say UK Treated Them Like Criminals

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British journalists freed fromIndonesian jail say UK treated them

like criminalsDocumentary lm-makers Rebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner say they feltlet down by British ocials durin! months in detentionRebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner ha"e criticised the #orei!n $ce% Photo!ra&h' (artin )odwin for the)uardian

Jessica Elgot-*ednesday ++ No"ember ,+.

/wo British journalists held for more than "e months in an Indonesian &rison ha"e described

their relief at bein! back on UK soil but criticised the #orei!n $ce for a dismissi"e attitude

they said had left them feelin! alone%

Documentary lm-makers Rebecca Prosser0 1+0 and Neil Bonner0 1,0 said they were treated

like &etty criminals by the British !o"ernment%
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminalshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminalshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminalshttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/jessica-elgothttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee0moZy41SY/VkOVcvszW8I/AAAAAAAAHZo/nEx_okKXSA8/s1600/4975881309126656.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/jessica-elgothttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminalshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminalshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/british-journalists-rebecca-prosser-neil-bonner-indonesia-say-uk-treated-them-like-criminals


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/he #2$ need to !ure out how they &rotect journalists03 said Prosser0 s&eakin! to the

)uardian after the &air touched down at 4eathrow% 5*e were treated like common criminals0

as far as they were concerned% It was a com&le60 &olitical case and they chose to use the

same line as if we had been cau!ht takin! "e kilos of cocaine into the country%3

Prosser bein! embraced by family and friends% Photo!ra&h' 7te"e Parsons8P9

Bonner and Prosser had been threatened with char!es includin! bein! a threat to national

security0 which carries u& to +, years in &rison0 but after months in detention were e"entually

con"icted of not ha"in! correct "isas and sentenced to two and a half months0 meanin! they

could lea"e &rison immediately because of time ser"ed%

/hey had been detained since (ay0 after bein! &icked u& by the Indonesian na"y on the

island of Batam0 while lmin! a documentary about &iracy and corru&tion in the military in

the strait of (alacca on behalf of &roduction com&any *all to *all%

I:"e worked in many di;erent countries where I thou!ht the UK !o"ernment would hel& me if

thin!s went wron!03 Prosser said% 5Now I realise I am on my own% *e were well su&&orted by

friends0 families and our com&any *all to *all0 but if we didn:t ha"e that0 if we:d been

workin! for a small com&any that couldn:t a;ord su&&ort0 we would ha"e been in serious

trouble%3

/he #2$:s statement e6&ressin! concern was 5literally a cut-and-&aste job30 Bonner said% 5*e


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were disa&&ointed with bi! mistakes that were made that could ha"e jeo&ardised our safety%3

Prosser said the #2$ had initially failed to send a di&lomatic notice to Indonesiaabout their

case% 5/here is a s&ecic document which !o"ernments can send e6&ressin! interest in a

case0 notin! the British !o"ernment is watchin! it at the hi!hest le"els and due &rocess must

be followed03 she said% 5*e were told it had been sent0 and a month later our families

followed u& and it was ne"er sent% /hat could ha"e really com&romised us% *e don:t know

how that a;ected the case%3

/hrou!hout their detention0 the &air said they sus&ected their case was bein! closely

monitored by the Indonesian military and was about far more than irre!ular "isas% 9 senior

Indonesian na"y commander0 Rear 9dmiral /au


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for the &eo&le I met0 who ha"e no ho&e of justice at all% I feel a res&onsibility to them%3

9rri"in! back at 4eathrow on *ednesday0 both noticeably thinner and still wearin! battered

@i&-@o&s0 the &air were !reeted by doAens of whoo&in! friends and collea!ues0 from as far

aeld as )las!ow0 many of whom &ushed throu!h the barriers to embrace them%

/he welcomin! committee wore stri&ed shirts a fa"ourite desi!n of Prosser:s and blond

moustaches like Bonner had s&orted before his detention% Prosser:s si6-year-old ne&hew had

been !i"en s&ecial &ermission by teachers to be there0 with his aunt:s homecomin!

considered 5e6ce&tional circumstances3%

Prosser and Bonner surrounded by their welcomin! committee at 4eathrow% Photo!ra&h' 7te"e Parsons8P9

I feel like my stren!th is comin! back0 now they:re home03 Bonner:s mother0 Barbara 7haw0

said% 5I had days where I would just burst into tears at anythin!0 just cry at ad"erts0 llin! in

forms at work% It:s been so hard and we:"e had to kee& it all bottled u&%3

Bernard Prosser0 Rebecca:s father0 who had tra"elled from Birmin!ham with Rebecca:s mother

2armel0 said he felt a wei!ht had been lifted but also criticised the !o"ernments of the UK and

Indonesia for their attitude to journalists% 5It:s &lain intimidation0 we know that% If it had been

just an immi!ration o;ence0 why were they there for "e monthsC3

#orei!n journalists are re


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"iolations ha"e led to re&orters bein! de&orted immediately0 rather than after months of

detention%

?eanne Klein0 chief e6ecuti"e of *all to *all0 said' 5*e are so &leased that Becky and Neil are

safely back on home soil and with their families%

/heir wellbein! and safe return home has been our &riority throu!hout this dicult time% I

want to thank my team0 &articularly our lawyers here and in Indonesia0 and e"eryone who has

been in"ol"ed in securin! an end to their detention%3

Posted by Thavam
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British Journalists Freed From Indonesian Jail Say UK Treated Them Like Criminals