Historian: The 1998 Mass Rapes Were Real, Urges PTUN to Rule Fadli Zon's Statement Wrong
A historian and plaintiff in the case at the State Administrative Court (PTUN), Ita Fatia Nadia, has emphasised that the mass rapes during the May 1998 riots constitute historical fact. She urged the panel of judges at the PTUN to declare that the statement by Culture Minister Fadli Zon, denying the event, is wrong and untrue.
Ita claimed to have directly accompanied the victims in 1998 and views the trial at the State Administrative Court (PTUN) as a crucial moment to reveal the gender-based violence that occurred at that time.
“I, as an accompanier in 1998, directly faced the victims. This trial at the PTUN is an important milestone to uncover the gender-based violence and brutality committed by the state through women’s bodies and sexuality,” Ita stated during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/4).
She noted that at the time, there were around 158 victims spread across several cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Palembang, and Solo. This number was later verified by a joint team to 58 victims.
“I directly handled 15 victims in Jakarta. The youngest victim was named Fransiska, aged 11 in Tangerang. I directly accompanied those victims,” she said.
Ita also revealed that she was once a member of the Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF) but only lasted one month due to pressure.
“I experienced extraordinary pressure from authorities to reveal the victims’ identities. That made me unable to continue,” she said.
According to Ita, the lawsuit to the PTUN, supported by civil society, is an important step after nearly three decades during which the issue has often been denied.
“For nearly 30 years, we have been considered liars. It was said that the mass rapes against women of Chinese ethnicity were nonsense. That is not true. It is not a hoax,” she asserted.
She added that the testimonies of the victims and witnesses, including the presence of a victim’s mother at the trial, serve as strong evidence refuting the denial. Ita also emphasised that she will not stop fighting for justice for the victims.
“In my hands, there is evidence and victim testimonies. This is a humanitarian obligation to continue fighting for,” she said.
She warned that if the PTUN does not grant the lawsuit, it will set a bad precedent for law enforcement in Indonesia.
“If this trial does not accept the clear facts, then we need to sue the Indonesian legal system itself,” Ita stated firmly.
On the same occasion, a victim’s mother, Kusmiati, also provided an emotional testimony. She claimed to have witnessed the condition of the victims in the hospital after the rape tragedy occurred.
“I searched for my child from Grogol to the hospital. I saw the rape victims myself. There were so many, from various backgrounds,” said Kusmiati.
She described the experience as a wound that has never healed to this day. Kusmiati hopes the PTUN can reopen the truth that has been covered up for so long.
“My hope is that the truth must be revealed. It should not be forgotten. This is a major human rights violation that must continue to be remembered,” she said.
The trial at the PTUN is also seen as the initial gateway to reopening the facts of violence in the May 1998 events.
The lawsuit was filed after Fadli Zon referred to the May 1998 mass rape incident as a “fantasy”.
The report of the Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF), formed during President B.J. Habibie’s era, has conclusively determined the existence of sexual violence in the incident.