Acknowledgement and Truth for 1965 Victims: A Call for Comprehensive Reparations

in Indonesia
A response to the Symposium on 1965 in Indonesia
JAKARTA, April 19, 2016
On 18-19 April 2016, Solidarity Forum for the Nations Children (FSAB), the Presidents
Review Council, the Indonesian Press Council, the National Commission on Human Rights,
and several Indonesian universities held a national symposium: Dissecting the 1965
Tragedy through an Historical Approach. A number of parties were invited to speak
academics, military representatives, and practitioners, including human rights activistswith
a focus on the results of various efforts to resolve the 1965 tragedy.
Besides statements by several current and former high-ranking officials, the state in this
symposium has shown its reluctance to apologize and acknowledge the violence of 1965.
Rather it has asked that the Indonesian nation forget the past. Symposium sessions
comprised dynamic exchange of opinions and open debate about the violence of 1965 and
the following years.
Whatever its shortcomings, AJAR sees this symposium as an important contribution to
building dialog among groups with strong differences of opinion, something that has never
happened before. On the other hand, AJAR also feels this symposium will have been
pointless if it is not followed by concrete steps to resolve the 1965 tragedy and address
grave human rights violations of the past. AJAR, therefore, stresses that the state is
obligated to fulfill victims rights to truth, justice, and reparations along with guarantees that
such violations will not be repeated. The state must ensure that these measures are based
on respect for and fulfillment of the rights and dignity of victims.
In her symposium session, AJAR Director, Galuh Wandita, said, It is time that Indonesia
has the courage to face its painful past and acknowledge that the state itself committed
human rights violations on a broad scale towards its own citizens. In essence, the state must
seek to fix what was destroyed. I believe this effort will take a long time, even generations.
What we are trying to do now will be revised and improved during a long process into the
future. But now is the time for the Indonesian government to begin this journey of healing,
and no longer be left behind by various efforts already being made by civil society and
victims communities.
AJAR urges the Indonesian government to immediately implement the recommendations of
the Symposium as the first steps towards acknowledgement and truth-seeking. The
government must guarantee safe spaces for dialog and freedom of expression in discussing
the atrocities of the past that includes the commission of crimes against humanity in 1965 at
local and national levels, to ensure constructive learning.
The government must also ensure that this response includes comprehensive reparations
that complement justice mechanisms, restore victims trust, and provide social and economic
programs, prioritizing rehabilitation for women, the elderly, children, and those living in
geographically isolated locations.
Contact
Galuh Wandita
Director, Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR)
tel/fax. +62 21 835 5550
gwandita@asia-ajar.org