Bringing the Margin to the Center? Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation on 1965 Mass Violence at Regency Levels

• In Event: Activism and Justice for the Survivors and Victims of the 1965 Violence in Indonesia - Sponsored by Southeast Asia Council (SEAC)

Abstract

For many years human rights and victims groups have made numerous efforts to address the 1965 mass violence and to push for state acknowledgement of past injustice. These various initiatives have encompassed judicial and non-judicial processes and retributive and restorative justice approaches and have taken place both at national state level and local community level. However, they have not had any significant impact at the state level and very limited outcomes have been achieved at the local community level. In the last four years, civil society groups in some regions have used a different approach by working with local governments at regency levels. The two most prominent cases are in Palu, Central Sulawesi, and Solo, Central Java.

My paper will look at the ways these groups, both non government organizations and victims groups, articulate and politicize truth and justice concerning the 1965 mass violence in their respective regencies. Further I will assess the different outcomes of these cases, and identify the potential for expanding these approaches to other areas in Indonesia in order to make a stronger case for state truth and justice efforts.

Author

• Ayu Wahyuningroem, Australian National University