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View all search resultsFury as court dismisses 1998 mass rape lawsuit
The court’s dismissal of the case against Culture Minister Fadli Zon, which was done on procedural grounds, brings back a ‘very dark chapter’ for the victim's pursuit of justice and reinforces a culture of impunity, plaintiffs have said.
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An activist puts up posters including one reading “Acknowledge the 1998 mass rapes“ on April 22 ahead of a press briefing at the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) office in Jakarta. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) has dismissed a lawsuit against Culture Minister Fadli Zon for his remarks that denied mass rapes during the 1998 riots, a ruling rights groups and victims’ families call a major step backward that further perpetuates impunity.
On Tuesday, an all-women panel of judges at the court ruled in favor of the minister, upholding his objection on the court's jurisdiction to handle the lawsuit and concluding that the bench lacked the authority to adjudicate the case.
The judges did not provide detailed reasons for its ruling, as seen in the court’s case tracking system (SIPP). They also ordered the plaintiffs to pay court costs for the trial of Rp 233,000 (US$13.60).
The ruling came following six months of proceedings on a lawsuit filed last October by seven plaintiffs, which included former attorney general Marzuki Darusman and Ita Fatia Nadia, the mother of Kusmiyati who fell victim during the May 1998 riots that left more than 1,000 dead and saw Chinese Indonesians subjected to violent attacks. The riots preceded the fall of former president Soeharto.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that Fadli committed an unlawful conduct and demanding a retraction of his statement made during an interview in June 2025 where he dismissed the mass rapes against Chinese Indonesian women amid the riot as rumors.
They also pointed to the minister’s statement that there was never any proof of the incident happening, citing a lack of any official records in historical documents while calling the term mass rape “problematic” as past findings of the incident were “merely numbers” without details of the incidents.
The plaintiffs also demanded Fadli to apologize to survivors and victims’ families.
