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View all search resultsFemale activist threatened after protesting minister’s denial of 1998 mass rape
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H
istorian and activist Ita Fatia Nadia revealed that she has received anonymous threats after protesting Culture Minister Fadli Zon’s controversial remarks about the mass rape of Chinese-Indonesian women during the May 1998 riots, which preceded the fall of Soeharto and his authoritarian regime.
Ita, who worked closely with rape survivors to document their stories, shared that she received numerous anonymous calls since Friday after attending a press conference to challenge Fadli’s statements saying that the rapes were just rumors, which she said “caused pain” to those experiencing trauma.
“I received calls throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the person on the other line threatened me by asking whether I want my mouth to be gagged and silenced forever’” Ita told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Ita was a former member of the government-sanctioned fact-finding team that reported that over 1,000 people died and hundreds others were injured during the 1998 unrest. The team, established by then president BJ Habibie in July 1998 shortly after Soeharto’s resignation, also found that several individuals were kidnapped, while dozens of women, mostly of Chinese descent, were raped.
The Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF) issued eight recommendations, most of which were not implemented by the government, including recommendations on rehabilitation and compensation for victims and the formation of a military tribunal for high-ranking Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) officers suspected of involvement or negligence.
