The Indonesian massacres as genocide

This chapter presents the arguments put forward in the International People’s Tribunal (IPT) 1965 research report on why the massacres of that period can be included as one of the genocides in the twentieth century, as well as the conclusion of the Panel of Judges on this topic. It begins with a discussion on the definition of genocide and deals with the amicus curiae brief submitted to the Tribunal. Genocide is often the subject of fierce and impassioned controversy. Despite the fact that, under international law, genocide has the same gravity as crimes against humanity and war crimes, genocide is often referred to as ‘the crime of crimes.’ The IPT’s qualification of the Indonesian genocide is relevant to the Universal Periodic Review as Indonesia acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2006.