Administrative Court Rejects Lawsuit Over Fadli Zon's Statements on 1998 Rapes

The Jakarta Administrative Court (PTUN) has decided not to accept a lawsuit filed by several citizens against Culture Minister Fadli Zon concerning his statements on evidence of the mass rapes in 1998. The ruling was delivered by the panel of judges via an electronic court session (e-court).

In its decision, the panel granted the exception raised by Fadli Zon as the defendant, particularly regarding the absolute authority of the court to adjudicate the case.

“In the main matter: the plaintiffs’ lawsuit is not accepted,” stated the ruling, as quoted from the PTUN Jakarta e-court on Tuesday (21/4).

Additionally, the panel imposed court costs of Rp233,000 on the plaintiffs.

The case has been processed for around six months since it was registered on 2 October 2026. The lawsuit was filed against an administrative government action in the form of an official statement by Fadli Zon questioning the validity of data in the Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF) report on the May 1998 events.

Through a written statement on 16 May 2025, broadcast on 16 June 2025, and posts on his official Instagram accounts @fadlizon and @kemenkebud, Fadli Zon emphasised the need for caution in addressing the report.

“…the TGPF report at that time only mentioned figures without solid supporting data, such as names, times, incidents, locations, or perpetrators. This is where caution and thoroughness are needed because it concerns the truth and the nation’s good name. We should not disgrace our own nation… It is important to always adhere to legally and academically tested evidence, as is customary in historiographical practice. Especially regarding figures and terms that are still problematic.”

In another statement, Fadli Zon also touched on efforts to rewrite history, which he believes aim to correct various pieces of information that have circulated in society, including the issue of mass rapes in May 1998.

“Mass rapes, says who? There has never been any proof. It’s a story. If there is, show it. Is it in the history books?” said Fadli Zon in an interview aired on IDN Times’ YouTube on Wednesday, 11 June 2025.

The plaintiffs in this case include various parties, such as Marzuki Darusman, Ita Fatia Nadia, Kusmiyati, I Sandyawan Sumardi, as well as organisations like the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Indonesian Chinese Youth Association, and the Kalyanamitra Foundation.

They requested the court to declare Fadli Zon’s statements as unlawful acts by a government body and/or official.

During the trial process, the legal team from the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity submitted around 95 pieces of evidence and presented several witnesses and experts, including Sri Palupi, Livia Iskandar, Riawan Tjandra, Herlambang Wiratraman, and Andi Achdian.

Additionally, the Chair of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, Maria Ulfa Anshor, and Wiwin Suryadinata, mother of Ita Martadinata—a 1998 rape victim who passed away before testifying before the United Nations in the United States—were also presented.