Number of Victims of Human Rights Violations Allegedly Involving the Soeharto Regime

Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon believes President Soeharto meets the requirements to receive the title of national hero.

According to him, one of the reasons Soeharto deserves to be given the title of hero is his role as Commander of the General Offensive of March 1, 1949.

"The General Offensive of March 1 was one of the milestones that allowed the Republic of Indonesia to be recognized by the world," said Fadli Zon at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (5/11/2025), quoted from Katadata.co.id.

However, this discourse was rejected by the Civil Society Movement to Bring Soeharto to Justice (Gemas), which consists of victims of human rights (HAM) violations, 256 individuals, and 185 civil society organizations.

"Gemas believes that the proposal for Soeharto contradicts the mandate of reform, human rights principles, as well as the values of justice and public morality," they said in a press release, Thursday (30/10/2025).

"Considering his track record of various severe human rights violations, systemic corruption, collusion, and nepotism, as well as an authoritarian leadership style during 32 years in power," they continued.

Gemas's rejection of Soeharto's hero title is based on many arguments, one of which is the Brief Report of the Team for the Assessment of Soeharto's Gross Human Rights Violations from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

This report contains Komnas HAM's findings on human rights violations that occurred during Soeharto's government, with special attention given to acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.

"Referring to these findings, it can be strongly suspected that Soeharto, in his position as president, was involved in gross human rights violations, both by commission and by omission," Komnas HAM stated in its report.

Violations by commission are situations where the state actively commits acts contrary to human rights.

Meanwhile, violations by omission are situations where the state does nothing, allows abuses to occur, or neglects its obligations to fulfill and/or protect human rights.

Below are the estimated details of victims of human rights violations allegedly involving Soeharto's government regime—based on several Komnas HAM reports that served as attachments to Gemas's arguments in rejecting Soeharto's hero title:

1965-1966 Events

• Deaths: 78,000 to 3 million people

Military Operations Area (DOM) Papua 1963-2003

• Deaths, disabilities, torture, kidnappings, and disappearances: approximately 100,000 people 

Mysterious Shootings (Petrus) 1981-1983

• Deaths: More than 5,000 people

May 13-15, 1998 Events

• Deaths: 1,217 people
• Injured: 90 people
• Victims of sexual violence who reported until July 3, 1998: 168 people
• Total victims (version of the Volunteer Team for Humanity/TRK): 1,475 people

Talangsari Event 1989

• Deaths: 130 people
• Victims of forced eviction/displacement: 77 people
• Victims of arbitrary arrest and detention: 53 people
• Victims of torture: 46 people
• Victims of abuse: 268 people
• Total victims: 574 people

July 27, 1996 Event

• Deaths: 5 people
• Injured: 149 people
• Missing: 23 people
• Arrested: 124 people
• Total victims: 301 people

Military Operations Area (DOM) Aceh 1989-1998

• Victims of sexual violence: 74 people
• Victims of torture: 109 people
• Victims of murder: 9 people
• Victims of arbitrary deprivation of liberty: 44 people
• Victims of enforced disappearance: 8 people
• Total victims: 244 people

Murder of Black Magic Practitioners 1998-1999

• Deaths: 103-169 people

Trisakti, Semanggi I, and Semanggi II Events 1998-1999

• Trisakti deaths: 4 people
• Victims of repressive actions Semanggi I: 127 people
• Semanggi II deaths: 1 person
• Total victims: 132 people

Tanjung Priok Event 1984-1987

• Deaths: 24 people
• Seriously injured: 36 people
• Lightly injured: 19 people
• Total victims: 79 people

Enforced Disappearances 1997-1998

• Victims: 23 people (9 returned, 1 died, 13 still missing).

Source:

• Brief Report of the Team for the Assessment of Soeharto's Gross Human Rights Violations, Komnas HAM, 2003.
• Nurturing Memory, Pursuing Justice: Executive Summary of Gross Human Rights Violations, Komnas HAM, 2020.
• Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II, Komnas HAM, 2002.