Indonesia’s 1965 Massacre: Unveiling The Truth, Demanding Justice
10 April 2015, 14.00 to 18.00 hrs
Nieuwekerk, Spui 175 2511 BM Den Haag
The mass killings, persecutions and detentions without trial of a million allegedly leftist Indonesians, which followed the events of October 1, 1965 have still been a subject of denial for the Indonesian government and the general public alike, both at home and elsewhere.
In order to address this culture of impunity and to initiate activities which would break the vicious circle of denial, distortion, taboo and secrecy, the International People’s Tribunal 1965 Foundation (IPT 1965), was founded late last year in the Netherlands.
In collaboration with human rights and solidarity activists and survivors of the 1965 crimes in Indonesia, this foundation has started an international campaign to organize for a People’s Tribunal to be held late this year in Europe.
As part of the process leading up to the actual People’s Tribunal, the IPT 1965 will hold a public seminar to discuss the various elements and mechanisms involved, and explanation of the indictments which will be the basis for the tribunal.
PROGRAMME
Introduction
Prof. Dr Saskia E. Wieringa
The International Dimension Of Human Rights
Drs Jan Pronk
Dutch Reactions to Human Rights Violations in Indonesia: a Historical Perspective
Prof. Dr Cees Flinterman
Indonesia and International Human Rights Instuments; Contemporary Dilemmas
Human Rights In Indonesia: Present And Past
Nursyahbani Katjasungkana SH:
Present Day Developments in Relation to Human Rights in Indonesia
Dr. Todung Mulya Lubis SH
The Prospects of Resolution of Past Human Rights Violations, Particularly the 1965-8 Crimes Against Humanity
Truth Finding And Reconciliation
Dr Gerry van Klinken: The case of Kupang
Dr Martijn Eickhoff: The case of Semarang
Summary of the Day
(by the Chair)
PRESS CONFERENCE
in Nieuwekerk (souterrain)
17.30 – 18.00
BACKGROUND AND MISSION OF THE IPT 1965
For almost a half century the mass killings that happened in Indonesia following the events of October 1, 1965 and the impunity surrounding these events have been encircled in a social and political amnesia. About one million people accused of being members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) were murdered, many hundreds of thousands of people were detained without trial, perished or exiled, and yet there has been no attempt by the State to find out who have been behind these killings, who these victims were exactly, and where their graves are.
The general public still believe that the PKI and its affiliate organizations are associated with atheism, horrendous cruelty, sexual perversion and the inherent intention to destroy the nation. History books and history classes so far have only one version of these events, namely the version created by the New Order State. Others prefer not to discuss this period in the history of their nation.
In order to address this culture of impunity and to initiate activities which would break down the vicious circle of denial, distortion, taboo and secrecy, the Foundation of the International People’s Tribunal was established in March 2014. Together with a broad network based in Indonesia and several other countries, the Foundation aims to establish an International People’s Tribunal (IPT), demands will be aimed at the state to recognize and acknowledge the crimes of humanity committed by the army and the vigilante groups it controlled.
Through the various activities before and after the Tribunal, voice will be given to the victims and survivors who are either in exile or who still live under the political stigma which has denied them rights that every citizen is entitled to. The range of activities around the Tribunal will help open up a space for public debate on the history and the culture of the persistent nature of violence in post-colonial Indonesia. It can help create the ‘mental revolution’ which can help break through the culture of violence and create an Indonesia in which social and gender justice and equality become important values, sustained by religious and socially progressive groups alike.
Since the IPT will not be a criminal court, it will not have the mandate to ensure justice and compensation for the victims. But it will endeavor to pressure the government to first of all acknowledge the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the state in 1965 and the years following it; and secondly, to take the responsibility to enable the rehabilitation of the victims and their families. Only through these mechanisms can there be a healing and reconciliation process. The activities and public events undertaken in preparation of the Tribunal are as important as the Tribunal itself and these events will involve the participation of a number of researchers working both in Indonesia and in various countries outside Indonesia; and international lawyers and activists under the coordination of Mrs. Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Prof. Dr. Saskia E. Wieringa.
The Foundation aims to hold the Tribunal in The Hague, City of Justice, immediately after October 2015 to seek truth and justice on these ‘crimes against humanity’; thus fifty years after the 1965 October events. The mission of the Tribunal is to examine the evidence for those crimes, develop an accurate historical and scientific record and apply principles of International Law to the collected evidence. Testimonies will be given by a selected number of victims and survivors both from Indonesia and the exiles currently living in Europe.
For more information visit our website: www.1965tribunal.org