Indonesian reporters support blinded journalists

An independent journalist group in Indonesia launched a social media campaign to support a Palestinian videographer and Indonesian reporter both separately shot by security forces in the face while covering popular protests in Palestine and Hong Kong, respectively.

The campaign, launched on Wednesday by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) for Muath Amarneh and Veby Mega Indah, hopes to strengthen international solidarity between journalists and urge law enforcement in Israel and Hong Kong to resolve their cases, according to a statement by AJI chief Abdul Manan.

Amarneh, 32, was shot by a bullet in his left eye while covering protests near Hebron (Al-Khalil) earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Indah, who works for Indonesian-language local newspaper Suara Hong Kong, was hit by a bullet near her right eye while covering a demonstration in the city on Sept. 29.

According to a statement by AJI, she was shot by police despite the fact that she was standing near a group of journalists and wearing obvious press identification and proper protective gear.

Participants can take part in the campaign by posting a photo of themselves while covering their left eye, said Manan.

He added that the photos should be uploaded with the hashtags EyeofTruth and MataPublik, meaning "public eyes".

Established in 1994, AJI is the largest registered organization of independent journalists in Indonesia and is a member of International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Photos of wounded Amarneh wearing his press vest and camera recently went viral on social media, triggering solidarity campaigns around the world.

The social media campaign is conducted from Wednesday to Friday this week.