Rawagede massacre
Encyclopedia
The Rawagede massacre was committed by Dutch armed forces on 9 December 1947 in the village of Rawagede (now Balongsari in West Java
), during Operatie Product
. Dutch forces were deployed in the East Indies to try and retain them as a Dutch colony. They were fighting Indonesian Republicans seeking independence for Indonesia. Almost all males from the village, amounting to 431 men according to most estimates, were killed by the Dutch military, since the people of the village would not tell where the Indonesian independence fighter Lukas Kustario was hiding. Later research has shown that the people of the village indeed did not know where he was hiding.
Although Dutch army general Spoor
recommended that the responsible officer, Major Alphons Wijnen, be prosecuted, no criminal investigation was started. A report from the United Nations
published on 12 January 1948 called the killings "deliberate and merciless".
On 8 September 2008, 10 survivors of the massacre officially held the Netherlands
responsible for the massacre. The state lawyer replied in a letter published on 24 November 2008, that the Netherlands "deeply regrets" the massacre, but that it believes the term for prosecution had expired
. This has drawn some criticism among MPs, as well as among leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad
, who argued in an editorial that there is no such thing as a statute of limitations on war crimes.
In December 2009, the 10 survivors decided to sue the Dutch state in court. The court decided on 14 September 2011 that the crime due to its extraordinary nature is not subject to a statute of limitations, and thus held the Dutch state fully accountable for the damages caused.
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
), during Operatie Product
Operatie Product
Operatie Product, was the first of two major Dutch military offensives against the Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution. It took place following Dutch assertions that Indonesia cooperated insufficiently in the implementation of the Linggadjati Agreement, which had been...
. Dutch forces were deployed in the East Indies to try and retain them as a Dutch colony. They were fighting Indonesian Republicans seeking independence for Indonesia. Almost all males from the village, amounting to 431 men according to most estimates, were killed by the Dutch military, since the people of the village would not tell where the Indonesian independence fighter Lukas Kustario was hiding. Later research has shown that the people of the village indeed did not know where he was hiding.
Although Dutch army general Spoor
Simon Hendrik Spoor
General Simon Hendrik Spoor was the Chief of Staff of the Dutch Armed Forces in the Dutch East Indies from 1946 to 1949, during the Indonesian National Revolution.-Career:...
recommended that the responsible officer, Major Alphons Wijnen, be prosecuted, no criminal investigation was started. A report from the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
published on 12 January 1948 called the killings "deliberate and merciless".
On 8 September 2008, 10 survivors of the massacre officially held the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
responsible for the massacre. The state lawyer replied in a letter published on 24 November 2008, that the Netherlands "deeply regrets" the massacre, but that it believes the term for prosecution had expired
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
. This has drawn some criticism among MPs, as well as among leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
, who argued in an editorial that there is no such thing as a statute of limitations on war crimes.
In December 2009, the 10 survivors decided to sue the Dutch state in court. The court decided on 14 September 2011 that the crime due to its extraordinary nature is not subject to a statute of limitations, and thus held the Dutch state fully accountable for the damages caused.