Hundreds of Chinese-Owned Properties Looted and Burned in Jakarta Amid Reports of Army-Led Rape Squads Roaming Streets

An Indonesian court has dismissed a lawsuit against Culture Minister Fadli Zon for publicly denying reports of mass rape during the 1998 riots that targeted ethnic Chinese Indonesians.

The Jakarta State Administrative Court ruled the plaintiffs’ claim “inadmissible” after more than seven months of proceedings, though it did not provide reasons for its decision. The ruling was published online without explanation.

The lawsuit was filed by a civil society coalition that included Amnesty International and former attorney general Marzuki Darusman. They argued that Fadli Zon had “distorted historical facts and erased victims’ suffering” through his public comments.

In a 2025 interview with the local media outlet IDN Times, Fadli Zon questioned the validity of mass rape allegations, stating: “Was there really mass rape? Who says so? There’s no proof.”

The court ordered the plaintiffs to pay legal fees of 233,000 rupiah, equivalent to approximately US$14.

Amnesty International expressed disappointment over the ruling, stating that survivors of the May 1998 rapes continue to seek justice while the state permits denial of this alleged gross human rights violation to proceed without accountability.

The 1998 riots occurred amid economic crisis and public anger over corruption, during which hundreds of Chinese-owned homes and businesses were looted and burned. Rape squads, allegedly led by rogue soldiers, were reported to have operated in Jakarta’s streets.

A fact-finding report from the time identified at least 52 alleged cases of rape during the unrest. The violence against ethnic Chinese Indonesians is widely regarded as having contributed to the eventual downfall of longtime dictator Suharto.