Men waiting to be executed during communist purge in Indonesia 1965.

 Men waiting to be executed during communist purge in Indonesia 1965.

During the Indonesian anti-communist purge of 1965–1966, men accused of communism were killed en masse, often after being rounded up by the military and local militias

. The executions were not systematic or judicial; rather, they were part of a campaign of mass violence. 

Roundup and execution

Military coordination: Following a failed coup attempt on September 30, 1965, the Indonesian military, led by General Suharto, blamed the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and initiated a violent anti-communist campaign. The military orchestrated the arrests of suspected communists, union members, intellectuals, and their alleged sympathizers.

Militia participation: The army often incited and collaborated with local militias, gangs, and anti-communist religious groups, particularly in Java and Bali, to carry out the killings. Many perpetrators acted without remorse and even bragged about their involvement.

Executions: Eyewitnesses and perpetrators describe men being loaded onto trucks or cattle carts, taken to secluded spots like forests or riversides, and then executed. A former killer in East Java described marching victims to a pier, clubbing them to death, and rolling their bodies into the sea.

Execution methods: While some prisoners were shot with automatic weapons, other accounts describe more gruesome methods used by the militias, such as being killed with a sledgehammer or decapitated. Bodies were often dumped in mass graves or rivers. 

The atmosphere of fear and the waiting

Propaganda and dehumanization: To justify the violence and incite public hatred, the military spread a massive propaganda campaign. False stories of extreme torture and mutilation by communists were widely distributed in army-controlled media to demonize them.

Imprisonment and torture: In addition to executions, tens of thousands of suspected communists were arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned, and tortured without trial for years. The mere accusation of communist ties was enough to provoke violence.

Psychological toll: The uncertainty and brutality of the purge created an atmosphere of terror. An account from the era describes the psychological experience of a prisoner waiting to be executed, highlighting the "unspeakable wrongness" of cutting short a healthy, conscious life. 

Legacy and aftermath

Lasting stigma: Even for those who survived imprisonment, the stigma of being labeled a communist lasted for decades. Many former political prisoners and their families faced systemic discrimination, including being barred from jobs in education and government.

Lack of justice: No one has ever been held accountable for the mass killings. Under Suharto's authoritarian rule, perpetrators were often praised as national heroes.