Betjo Untung, Indonesian Human Rights Activist, Selected for 2020 Gwangju Human Rights Award

High School Student Reveals 'Massacre' Witnessed to the World

Lee Cheol-woo, chairman of the 518 Memorial Foundation, announced the recipient of the '2020 Gwangju Human Rights Award' at the 518 Memorial Foundation on the 20th. The awardee selected was Indonesian human rights activist Betjo Untung.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The 5·18 Gwangju Human Rights Award Screening Committee (Chairman Moon Gyu-hyun, Executive Representative of People Opening Peace and Unification) announced on the 20th that the ‘2020 Gwangju Human Rights Award recipient’ is Indonesian human rights activist Bedjo Untung.

Bedjo Untung witnessed the massacre carried out by the Suharto military dictatorship under the pretext of purging leftists during his high school years from 1965 to 1966.

Resisting the dictatorship and trying to reveal the truth of the events he experienced to the world, he was branded as a political prisoner.

Becoming a wanted man by the dictatorship, he was captured by the Indonesian military intelligence agency in 1970 and thereafter endured imprisonment in unimaginably harsh conditions, including electric torture and having to eat rats, snakes, lizards, and insects.

He was transferred to several prisons and suffered unpaid forced labor and severe malnutrition in inhumane conditions for 10 years.

His lonely struggle eventually drew international attention, and on October 24, 1979, he was released due to international pressure. However, even after his release, he had to carry an ID card marked with the special code ‘ET,’ indicating his status as a former political prisoner, and was subjected to endless social detention and persecution, including reporting all his movements to military commanders.

On April 7, 1999, Bedjo Untung, driven by a mission to uncover the truth of the massacre he witnessed, established YPKP65 with his colleagues.

Since then, he traveled across Indonesia from Sumatra to Java, meeting not only victims but also the families of the deceased, informing them of their legal rights so they could confidently claim their rights and receive proper compensation.

Thanks to his efforts, victims can now enjoy legal rights to receive medical support and psychological healing from the government under the Indonesian constitution.

In 2015, he also participated as a witness in an international trial held in The Hague, Netherlands.

In this trial, it was officially recognized that massacres and crimes against humanity occurred in Indonesia during 1965?1966. Furthermore, the Indonesian government was recommended to take follow-up measures such as healing and compensation and to establish a special court to address human rights violations.

The Gwangju Human Rights Award Screening Committee judged that the spirit of 5·18 is being realized through Bedjo Untung’s activities and highly appreciated the fact that his work inspires human rights activists worldwide and citizens who aspire to democratic societies.

The committee stated, “The decision to award the Gwangju Human Rights Award this time will serve as an opportunity to fulfill the historical responsibility of realizing transitional justice in Korea and several Asian countries through uncovering the truth of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, as well as advancing democracy, human rights, and peace.”

Meanwhile, the ‘2020 Gwangju Human Rights Award’ ceremony has been postponed due to COVID-19 and is scheduled to be held in October this year, where the recipient will be awarded a plaque and a prize of $50,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.