Last year: Amnesty frees 1,688 political prisoners
Amigoe di Curaçao, 10 Apr 1976: the Curaçao branch of Amnesty International adopts three prisoners, including Sri Kusnapsiah, 67, imprisoned in Indonesia for over ten years. No organisation is named in the text, but the case is of interest as a long-term woman political prisoner from 1965. Also reports 1,688 releases i
New Internationalist, Oct 1976: 'Journalists in Jail' (Indonesia entries incl. Sudjinah, Lies Sukatno)
Two-page Amnesty-based list of journalists detained or missing as of 23 April 1976, in New Internationalist (October 1976). Its Indonesia entries include 'Mrs Rusijati '65', 'Miss Sudjinah '66' and 'Lies Sukatno '66', giving only arrest years; no Gerwani link is stated. OCR is rough and the layout mixes countries.
Constitution (Amnesty press conference on Indonesian prisoners)
Nederlands Dagblad, 6 October 1976, p. 5: partly missing report on an Amnesty International press conference in the Netherlands about Indonesian political prisoners. It states that the women in the women's camps are for the most part members of the militant Gerwani, discusses church relief for prisoners' families, and
Sawito foretells the coming of the 'Sawitan age' (Tempo, 16 Oct 1976)
Tempo profile of Sawito Kartowibowo, the mystic behind the 1976 'Sawito affair' manifesto, discussing his prophecies of a new 'Sawitan' age. It notes that his essays appeared in Mawas Diri, the monthly led by Dra. S.K. Trimurti. Trimurti appears only incidentally; Gerwani is not mentioned.
'Sentenced': life imprisonment for Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman (East German press, 20 Oct 1976)
East German daily Berliner Zeitung, 20 October 1976, p. 7, a news-in-brief item headed 'Verurteilt' reporting that an Indonesian military court sentenced Mrs Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman, arrested in October 1965, an active PKI leader and former MP, to life imprisonment. The rest of the page is unrelated. Gerwani is not m
'Sentenced': life imprisonment for Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman (East German press, 20 Oct 1976)
East German daily Berliner Zeitung, 20 October 1976, p. 7, a news-in-brief item headed 'Verurteilt' reporting that an Indonesian military court sentenced Mrs Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman, arrested in October 1965, an active PKI leader and former MP, to life imprisonment. The rest of the page is unrelated. Gerwani is not m
'Sentenced': life imprisonment for Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman (East German press, 20 Oct 1976)
Foreign-news page of the SED daily Neues Deutschland. A brief ('Kommunistin verurteilt') reports that an Indonesian military court sentenced Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman, a Communist Party leader and former member of parliament, to life imprisonment. The sweep names her as Sundari Abdulrachman; her Gerwani link is not sta
'Sentenced': life imprisonment for Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman (East German press, 20 Oct 1976)
Foreign-news page of the SED daily Neues Deutschland. A brief ('Kommunistin verurteilt') reports that an Indonesian military court sentenced Siti Sundari Abdul Rahman, a Communist Party leader and former member of parliament, to life imprisonment. The sweep names her as Sundari Abdulrachman; her Gerwani link is not sta
Suharto's answer (Lekra artists persecuted)
De Waarheid, 6 Nov 1976, p. 2: fragment on Suharto's destruction of the Lekra cultural movement in 1965 (book burnings, banned art), with a long list of murdered or imprisoned artists, including Pramoedya, Henk Ngantung, Bujung Saleh and writer Sugiarti Siswadi, noted as sentenced to 12 years (OCR garbled). Also an unr
Riek Hoogkamp: international solidarity high on the banner
De Waarheid, 15 Nov 1976, p. 1: report on an NVB meeting opened by chair Riek Hoogkamp, who stressed the role of international solidarity in NVB history and said the thoughts of the meeting went out to the women of the Indonesian sister organisation Gerwani, to women in Chile and Namibia. The NVB reports growth and 31
Remaining 29,000 follow: Indonesia releases 2,650 communists after 11 years
Limburgsch Dagblad, 2 December 1976, p. 1: Jakarta announces release of 2,650 communist prisoners held since 1965 without trial, with a promise to free the remaining 29,000 within three years. At a ceremony 150 swore loyalty to Suharto; among them were students, former civil servants and members of the banned women's m
Jakarta releases 2,650 political prisoners
Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, 2 December 1976: Reuter report that Indonesia released 2,650 prisoners held since 1965 without trial. At a ceremony 150 swore loyalty to Suharto, among them students, former civil servants and members of the banned leftist women's movement Gerwani; 29,000 remain, with a promise to free them
Indonesia releases prisoners
Nederlands Dagblad, 3 December 1976, p. 3: Jakarta announces release of 2,650 communist prisoners held since 1965 without trial, repeats the promise to free the remaining 29,000 within three years. At a ceremony 150 swore loyalty to Suharto; they included students, ex-civil servants and members of the banned women's mo
Tempo, 11 December 1976: Political prisoners released
Tempo brief (11 Dec 1976) on release of another 2,500 G30S/PKI prisoners; all 540,000 Group C released, leaving 1,821 Group A, 27,132 Group B, 2,041 Group X. Sudomo says about 500,000 were killed 'but by the people'. Mentions 10 middle-aged women among 319 Group B freed in Jakarta; no Gerwani named.
Bygningsarbeideren, 1977: Amnesty prisoner Sri Ambar Rukmiati (SOBSI women's bureau)
Norwegian building-workers' union paper, 1977, carrying Amnesty International's 'Prisoners of Conscience Year' appeal on imprisoned trade unionists. It profiles Sri Ambar Rukmiati, head of SOBSI's women's department: elected to the national board in 1964, arrested autumn 1966 and tortured, two teenage daughters also ar
Bygningsarbeideren, 1977: Amnesty prisoner Sri Ambar Rukmiati (SOBSI women's bureau)
Norwegian building-workers' union paper, 1977, carrying Amnesty International's 'Prisoners of Conscience Year' appeal on imprisoned trade unionists. It profiles Sri Ambar Rukmiati, head of SOBSI's women's department: elected to the national board in 1964, arrested autumn 1966 and tortured, two teenage daughters also ar
Lecture on women (Maria Ulfah; S.K. Trimurti mentioned), Tempo, 26 Feb 1977
Tempo item (26 February 1977) profiling Maria Ulfah, who advises working women on labour rights and the marriage law and speaks against polygamy. It says she works with 'dra. SK Trimurti' in the Yayasan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (YTKI) on women workers' workshops, seminars and legal information. Trimurti, a Gerwis founder
Women round the World: Indonesian Women (Kinesis, June 1977)
Kinesis (Vancouver feminist paper), June 1977, p.10, 'Women round the World': a section on Indonesian women. It says Gerwani, the largest women's organisation (over one million members), was banned for alleged complicity in the 1965 coup and blamed for atrocities; many members suffered torture and sexual abuse in inter
Norwegian regional newspaper page (Stavanger, 17 June 1977) with a piece by Reidun Nydal on Amnesty International's list of 104 imprisoned journalists. Among four women, it names Indonesia's Sudjinah, 42, who worked for papers banned after the 1965 coup attempt, was charged with aiding the attempt and rebuilding the In
The Times of India, 6 Sep 1977, p.11 (Reuter, London, 4 Sep): Amnesty International lists 62 imprisoned or missing parliamentarians in 17 countries; Indonesia tops the list with 23, most held without trial since 1965 for links with the PKI, SOBSI, BTI or the women's organisation Gerwani. Named are Subandrio, Oei Tjoe T
Jawa Pos, 29 November 1977: two PKI figures, Ir. Moedjani and Ny. Kartini, tried
Jawa Pos, 29 Nov 1977: Tulungagung subversion trial of Ir. Moedjani and Ny. Kartini alias Widji, 'chair of Gerwani East Java' and former Surabaya teacher, captured in the 1968 South Blitar (Trisula) operation.
Daily World, 21 December 1977: Indonesia prisoner release, PKI statement
Daily World, 21 Dec 1977, p. 8: short item that the PKI analysed the Indonesian government's release of 10,000 Communist political prisoners, saying perhaps 60,000-70,000 remain jailed, many since 1965, at least 15,000 died in Palembang and Surabaya camps, and new arrests roughly offset releases. Surrounded by unrelate
Asian Women and Political Repression (poem), Quest: A Feminist Quarterly, Winter 1978
Quest: A Feminist Quarterly, Vol. IV no. 2 (Winter 1978, 'International Feminism'), carrying on p. 32 the poem 'Asian Women and Political Repression' by Sugiarti Siswadi, in which women declare they are no longer only wives of heroes but 'worker soldiers'. A headnote begins 'Mrs. Siswadi, a well-known Indonesian poet,
Asian Women and Political Repression (poem), Quest: A Feminist Quarterly, Winter 1978
Quest: A Feminist Quarterly, Vol. IV no. 2 (Winter 1978, 'International Feminism'), carrying on p. 32 the poem 'Asian Women and Political Repression' by Sugiarti Siswadi, in which women declare they are no longer only wives of heroes but 'worker soldiers'. A headnote begins 'Mrs. Siswadi, a well-known Indonesian poet,
After 12 Years Freedom (Post-Courier, 19 January 1978)
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, 19 January 1978, p. 5, feature by George Oliver on the release of 10,000 political prisoners held since the 1965 coup, with PKI members forced to swear loyalty. It describes the Category A, B, C system, the 1965-66 massacres (estimates up to half a million killed), Amnesty International's
After 12 Years Freedom (Post-Courier, 19 January 1978), clean OCR
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, 19 January 1978, p. 5, clean OCR of George Oliver's feature on the release of 10,000 political prisoners held since the 1965 coup (same article as GA-00267). It covers the official and alternative accounts of 30 September, killings of perhaps half a million, half to three-quarters of a mi
The NVB (International Women's Day 1978)
De Waarheid, 4 Mar 1978, p. 5: article on the NVB's record around International Women's Day, listing its causes since the war: disarmament, anti-nuclear action, opposition to wars in Korea and Vietnam, international solidarity with Gerwani in Indonesia and anti-apartheid women, and women's rights at home. Contrasts the
NVB on International Women's Day: no support for Suharto (Van Heutsz monument wrapped)
De Waarheid, 9 Mar 1978, p. 1: report that NVB women on International Women's Day wrapped the Van Heutsz monument in Amsterdam in white cloth marked 'Gerwani'. The item summarises Gerwani's pre-1965 work (clinics, crèches, kindergartens, courses, anti-polygamy campaigns) and the 1975 trials: Sulami life, Suharti, Sudji
Trial against Tanti Aidit
De Waarheid, 25 Jul 1978, p. 2: report that the army paper Berita Yudha says a charge has been drawn up against Tanti (Soetanti) Aidit, physician and widow of PKI chair D.N. Aidit, arrested after 1965; she will be tried on allegations that as a board member of Gerwani she was involved in the '30 September Movement'. Th
Jakarta releases 8,000 political prisoners (The Times, 27 July 1978)
The Times, 27 July 1978, p.6, whole page of overseas news; the relevant item reports (Bandung, 26 July) that more than 8,000 political prisoners, communists jailed since the 1965 coup attempt, were released across Indonesia, about 4,000 in Bandung. They were 'B'-class prisoners who could have been tried; Colonel Sardjo