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Rico Sempurna Pasaribu (c. 1984 - 27 June 2024) was an Indonesian journalist who worked for the Medan-based Tribrata TV.

Pasaribu worked for Tribrata TV, an online news website that often reported on police activities.

On 22 June 2024, Tribrata TV published an article by Pasaribu alleging that an illegal gambling den based close to the barracks of the Army 125th battalion in the Padangmas district of Kabanjahe was owned by a corporal in the Indonesian Army.

Following the publication of the report, the Journalist Safety Committee reported that the soldier had threatened Pasaribu and asked Tribrata TV's chief editor, Edrin Adriansyah, to take down the report. Pasaribu stayed away from his home for several days following the threat.

On 26 June 2024, religious protests were held outside the 125th battalion headquarters demanding that the gambling business be stopped, in addition to raising concerns about prostitution and drug running. Pasaribu came out of hiding to report on the protests before returning to his home in Kabanjahe.

On 27 June 2024, the bodies of Pasaribu, his wife, daughter, and grandson, were found in their home in Kabanjahe, North Sumatra.

Pasaribu's surviving daughter Eva Meliani Pasaribu, whose son died in the fire, led a public campaign for justice for her family.

Human Rights Watch called on the Indonesian police to complete a "credible and timebound" investigation to identify anyone involved in the attack.

The Alliance of Independent Journalist raised concerns that a cover up would occur in the investigation due to alleged military involvement and stated that the fire was caused by arson Their chairperson, Cristison Sondang Pane, stated Pasaribu had committed breaches of journalistic ethics, including accepting weekly stipends from the gambling ring initially not to publish any articles about them, and that he published articles about it after they declined to extend payments to a local youth centre. The AJI stated that many journalists are forced into such arrangements due to low salaries. The KKJ reiterated that even if ethics had been breached, violence was not an appropriate response.

A spokesperson for the Indonesian Army stated that authorities had questioned the soldier and found he was not involved in gambling.

North Sumatra police stated they arrested three suspects and had interviewed 28 witnesses. One of the suspects, Bebas Ginting, was the former head of the Angkatan Muda Pembaharuan Indonesian, a youth organisation linked to the Golkar Party, which had official ties to the Indonesian military during the Soeharto regime.

Human Rights Watch drew similarities to Pasaribu's death and those of journalists including Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin in 1996 after reporting on corruption in Bantul regency, and Sander Theones in 1999, by members of Battalion 745 in Dili.

The Committee on Safety for Journalists sent an investigative team to Medan on 28 June. They stated their initial investigation into Pasaribu's death indicated "possible foul play".

On 12 July 2024, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, condemned Pasaribu's killing, and called for a "thorough investigation" to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.

Tempo.co called on the police to complete a thorough and independent investigation, citing the link between Pasaribu's death and articles he had published about gambling in the military. It raised concerns that the police appeared to be suggesting the fire was an accident, citing gasoline and gas cyclinders stored in the home, which also comprised of a shop ran by Pasaribu's wife.