3. Authorities & decisions: Indonesia’s anti-communist mass killings

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

After the September 30 Movement in 1965, Indonesian army leaders under Suharto conducted an anti-communist campaign while President Sukarno’s authority weakened. The army and allied groups participated in mass killings and detention.

Suharto became acting president in 1967 and president in 1968. Estimates of deaths vary widely; victims included alleged communists and many people with no demonstrated involvement in the attempted coup.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.

Legal restrictions, rights & enforcement

Compare who exercised authority, whether opponents could organize independently, how the government handled economic and social demands, and whether neighboring populations were exposed to invasion or coercion. The record above describes this particular case rather than treating every movement with a similar label as identical.