Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto gives a plaque to Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, daughter of the former Indonesian president Suharto, as Suharto receives the title of a national hero during National Heroes' Day at the State Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 10, 2025. -- Photo: REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
JAKARTA (dpa): The Indonesian government on Monday recognized former long-time ruler Suharto as a national hero, drawing furious condemnation from human rights groups.
The move amounts to a trivialization of the late dictator's record of human rights violations and corruption during his more than 30 years in power, critics said.
Suharto, an ally of the US during the Cold War, ruled Indonesia with an iron fist from 1967 to 1998. During this time, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of political opponents were killed.
The country's incumbent President Prabowo Subianto - Suharto's ex-son-in-law - on Monday honoured the late leader in a televised ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta for his military service during Indonesia's struggle for independence.
Suharto, who was overthrown in 1998 after massive protests and died in 2008, was one of ten people posthumously honoured on National Heroes' Day.
Human rights groups hold him responsible for mass murders, torture, and corruption - especially in regions striving for independence such as East Timor, Aceh, and Papua.
Suharto's family is also said to have amassed vast amounts of state funds before he was pushed out of power in the wake of the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.
Suharto died a decade later without ever having been prosecuted for crimes committed during his rule.
Prabowo, a former general who has been president since last year and has himself been accused of human rights violations during Suharto's final years in power, did not make any public statements after the ceremony.
He was married to Suharto's daughter, Siti Hediati Hariyadi, from 1983 to 1998. - dpa
