Activists charge Indonesia over 1965 anti-communist purge

Activists seeking justice for a brutal 1965 anti-communist purge in Indonesia launched a people’s court, charging the state with crimes against humanity 50 years after the crackdown. “It is time to break down the vicious circle of denial, distortion, taboo, secrecy surrounding the events of 1965,” Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, a leading Indonesian activist, told the start of 4 days of hearings in The Hague, home to several international criminal tribunals. Indonesia was charged with 9 counts of crimes against humanity at the mock tribunal – which carries no legal weight – being heard before a panel of 7 international judges. At least 500,000 people died in the purge across the Southeast Asian archipelago that started after then General Suharto put down a coup on October 1, 1965.

Read the full story on Rappler Indonesia.