Expert Testimony in Mass Rape Denial Trial

Human rights expert Herlambang P. Wiratraman stated that the denial of mass rape in the 1998 tragedy by Culture Minister Fadli Zon constitutes a violation of human rights.

Herlambang was an expert witness presented by the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity in a lawsuit hearing at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) on 26 February 2026, challenging Zon’s statement denying mass rape in May 1998. The plaintiffs in case number 335/G/T991F/2025/PTUN.JKT presented Herlambang P. Wiratraman as their human rights expert.

Herlambang explained that Fadli Zon’s statement claiming there was no mass rape was not merely an ordinary statement or decision, but rather a series of politicised policy processes by those wielding state power.

The Gadjah Mada University state law lecturer explained that from a human rights perspective, denial of serious human rights violations concerning mass rape in May 1998 clearly constitutes a continuing violation of human rights.

“Only under fascistic regimes do denials and manipulation of truth occur regarding the unfinished wounds and suffering from past crimes against humanity inflicted upon citizens,” Herlambang stated in the hearing, according to statements from the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity on Saturday, 28 February 2026.

According to Herlambang, the practice of denial demonstrates deliberate disregard for the legal processes already conducted through special legal mechanisms, particularly the pro-justitia investigations conducted by the National Human Rights Commission under the Human Rights Court Act. Herlambang identified impunity as a crime infrastructure perpetuated through means that extend beyond legal mechanisms alone.

After hearing the witness testimony, the Coalition objected and strongly condemned Zon’s attempt to present an expert with conflicting interests. Zon presented Agus Mulyana, who currently holds the position of Director of History and Museology within the Culture Ministry.

“This clearly constitutes an affront to judicial integrity, contradicting the mandate of Article 89 of the State Administrative Court Law, which stipulates that a prerequisite for providing expert testimony is the absence of any work relationship or position whatsoever connected to the respondent,” said Jane Rosalina from the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity.

The Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity sued Culture Minister Fadli Zon at the Jakarta State Administrative Court on Thursday, 11 September 2025, challenging his statements denying evidence of mass rape in May 1998.

The coalition comprises Marzuki Darusman; Ita F. Nadia, chair of the May 1998 Fact-Finding Team; Kusmiyati, an advocate for mass rape survivors; Sandyawan Sumardi, parent of a May 1998 arson victim; the Indonesian Youth Association of Chinese Descent; the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation; and Kalyanamitra.

Their lawsuit targets Zon’s statement issued by the Culture Ministry on 16 June 2025. In that statement, Zon claimed the joint fact-finding team report on 1998 mass rape contained only figures without strong supporting evidence, and urged against embarrassing the nation by discussing the May 1998 events.

Zon’s statement followed his explicit denial of mass rape during the 1998 events in an “Real Talk” interview with IDN Times on 10 June 2025.

Zon initially explained that historical rewriting aimed to clarify rumours that had been treated as historical fact. He then cited mass rape as an example of a rumour he wished to correct.

“Who says there was mass rape? There is no proof. That is a story. If there was, show me, is it in the history books?” Zon stated in an interview aired on IDN Times’ YouTube channel on Wednesday, 11 June 2025.

The former Vice Chair of the House of Representatives also stated he had tested historians by asserting that the events had been acknowledged by the fact-finding team. “I myself have disputed that and they [history rewriters] could not prove it,” he said.

Responding to public criticism, Zon stated that his remarks were personal opinion unrelated to history. He claimed his controversial statement concerned the term “mass” applied to social incidents in May 1998, arguing that clear facts and academic evidence should support such claims, including identification of victims and locations.

“That is my personal opinion. This has nothing to do with history, and in a democracy we are entitled to different opinions. If anyone has evidence, ‘This is what mass rape is’, please present it,” he said after delivering remarks at a second-wave regional leaders’ retreat at the State Administration Institute in Sumedang, West Java, on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, according to Antara.

Zon did not deny that rape occurred in May 1998, but questioned whether the cases were systematic in nature. According to him, if the incidents were systematic, they would constitute organised, structured, and massive events.

Dede Leni Mardianti contributed to this article.