Suardi Tasrif

Suardi Tasrif (3 January 1922 – 24 April 1991) was an Indonesian journalist, writer, and advocate. He became active in journalistic endeavors starting in the Indonesian National Revolution, and led the prominent newspaper Abadi during the Sukarno period since its founding in 1951 until its ban in 1960. He moved into advocacy during the New Order era, lobbying for legal reform in the Suharto regime's early years and becoming a prolific writer on legal and political matters. He has also contributed to the code of ethics of both the journalistic and advocacy professions in Indonesia.

Early life and education Tasrif was born on 3 January 1922 in Cimahi, today in West Java. He was the son of Mohammad Tasrif and Siti Hapzah, and was of a mixed Sundanese-Javanese heritage. After completing elementary school in 1936, he studied at a Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs in Palembang until 1939, then an Algemene Middelbare School until 1942. His studies revolved around law and politics, with Tasrif being inspired by Sukarno's 1930 trial and native defendants such as Iskaq Tjokrohadisurjo. After moving to Yogyakarta, he also lead the Berita Indonesia newspaper, which had been established by the nascent Indonesian Army in September 1945, and helped Usmar Ismail manage the magazines Tentara and Arena. He developed good relationships with other newspaper heads such as Mochtar Lubis (Indonesia Raya) and Rosihan Anwar (Pedoman), their papers generally adopting a similar political position in opposition to heavily nationalist publications such as Harian Rakjat or Suluh Indonesia. The three of them, along with B.M. Diah, were founding members of the Indonesian branch of the International Press Institute. Abadi was shut down in 1960, when Tasrif refused to sign a document which would require the newspaper to support the Sukarno government's policies. He had previously been a significant contributor to the Indonesian journalism code of ethics, published in 1954. He was one of the defense lawyers in the prosecutions following the Malari incident. He was posthumously awarded the Star of Mahaputra, 2nd class in 1994, and the Alliance of Independent Journalists annually awards the Suardi Tasrif Award for contributions to press freedom in Indonesia.