September 11, 2025 | 07:06 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity has filed a lawsuit against Culture Minister Fadli Zon at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) over his statements denying the 1998 mass rape incidents.
Jane Rosalina, the plaintiffs’ legal representative, said the lawsuit targets Fadli Zon’s press release as an administrative action of an official. “This statement is what we are challenging at PTUN,” Jane said during a press conference on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
The case has been registered under Number 303/G/2025/PTUN-JKT. “We are pursuing this lawsuit to hold Fadli Zon accountable in court,” Jane added.
Marzuki Darusman, another representative of the plaintiffs, emphasized that the lawsuit aims to protect the victims.
“These are individuals who have endured extremely traumatic experiences,” Marzuki said. He also described Fadli Zon's statement as causing “double trauma” and contributing to discrimination against certain groups of citizens.
Other plaintiffs include Ita Fatia Nadia, Kusmiyati, Sandyawan Sumardi, the Indonesian Chinese Youth Association (IPTI), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), and Kalyanamitra.
Fadli Zon had previously questioned the use of the term “mass” in relation to the 1998 rape tragedy during a podcast, later clarifying his remarks in an official press release. He framed the discussion as an academic debate regarding the numbers and terminology surrounding the events.
“To this day, there has not been a comprehensive investigative report confirming the number of rape victims during the May riots,” Fadli stated. He noted that a report from a leading magazine failed to present solid evidence regarding the alleged mass rape.
Fadli also cited findings from the Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF) formed by President Habibie’s government, which he said only mentioned numbers without verifying names, timelines, locations, or perpetrators.
Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to the writing of this article.
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