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View all search resultsCulture minister draws more criticism for defending denial of mass rape in 1998 riots
Culture Minister Fadli Zon has defended his denial of mass rape during the May 1998 riots from a recent interview. But it was met with more outrage from historians and activists who deemed it a government attempt to sanitize Indonesia’s violent past amid the ministry’s controversial project to rewrite history.
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Freedom of speech?: Culture Minister Fadli Zon (right), who also serves as the chair of the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), walks alongside National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Ahmad Dofiri on Feb. 21 at the opening ceremony of the second installment of the Young Farmers Academy in Jakarta. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
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ulture Minister Fadli Zon defended in a recent interview his denial of the mass rape that occurred during the May 1998 riots. But it was met with more outrage from historians and activists who deemed it a government attempt to sanitize Indonesia’s violent past amid the ministry’s controversial project to rewrite history.
Fadli landed in hot water after an interview with news outlet IDN Times on June 5 about the project to release new history books, during which he dismissed the mass rape during the 1998 riots as mere “rumors”. He said at the time that “there was never any proof” of the incident happening, citing a lack of any official records in historical documents.
This triggered condemnation from human rights groups last week, with many stating that the minister’s comments were “deeply hurtful”, distorted history and perpetuated a culture of denial.
Following the outrage, Fadli released a statement on Monday saying that he did not mean to deny the existence of sexual violence against women and said he condemned such acts.
The minister said that he merely had an issue with the term “mass rape” during the May riots, which he deemed “still problematic” because of a lack of evidence.
“Various crimes occurred during the riots on May 13 and 14, 1998, including sexual violence. However, regarding ‘mass rape’, caution is needed because the data on the incident was never conclusive,” he said.
Read also: Culture minister’s denial of mass rape in 1998 riots sparks outrage
