Civil Coalition to Appeal PTUN Ruling Dismissing Lawsuit Against Fadli Zon

The Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity will file an appeal following the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN)’s declaration that it will not accept the lawsuit for unlawful acts regarding government administrative actions by Culture Minister Fadli Zon, who is alleged to have denied the 1998 mass rape events.

“Rest assured, we will pursue the appeal further to the High State Administrative Court,” stated public lawyer Daniel Winarta from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) during a press conference at the National Commission on Violence Against Women, on Wednesday (22/4), as quoted from the LBH Jakarta Instagram account.

Daniel explained that the lawsuit is inseparable from efforts to affirm PTUN’s authority in adjudicating cases related to government administrative actions.

He clarified that Fadli Zon’s official statements, conveyed through press releases, social media, or the official website, constitute part of the government’s factual actions.

In the upcoming appeal memorandum, he continued, they will emphasise that such statements fall within the scope of state administrative law.

Thus, the case should be under PTUN’s absolute authority to examine and adjudicate.

“This is a factual action that should be resolved through the state administrative court mechanism. That is the most important thing,” he said.

Previously, PTUN Jakarta decided not to accept the lawsuit filed by the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity.

In its verdict, the panel of judges granted the exception filed by Fadli Zon as the defendant, particularly regarding the court’s absolute authority in adjudicating the case.

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

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

The case has been processed for about six months since it was registered on 2 October 2025.

The lawsuit was filed over government administrative actions in the form of Fadli Zon’s official statements questioning the validity of data in the Joint Fact-Finding Team report on the May 1998 events.

Through written statements in mid-2025, as well as posts on the official Instagram accounts @fadlizon and @kemenkebud, Fadli Zon suggested 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, events, locations, or perpetrators. This is where caution and thoroughness are needed because it concerns the truth and the nation’s reputation. We should not shame our own nation… It is important to always adhere to evidence that has been tested legally and academically, 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 the May 1998 mass rapes.

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

The plaintiffs in this case consist of various parties, including Marzuki Darusman, Ita Fatia Nadia, Kusmiyati, I Sandyawan Sumardi, as well as organisations such as 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 government bodies and/or officials.

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, National Commission on Violence Against Women Chair 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.