A “people’s tribunal” opened Tuesday in The Hague to investigate the murder of thousands of alleged communists by Indonesian authorities in 1965. Human rights lawyers have charged Indonesia [AP report] with nine counts, including torture, sexual violence, and murder, for the government’s involvement in the deaths of roughly 500,000 people. The tribunal has no legal authority, but prominent human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, acting as prosecutor, said [Demanjo report] “the truth has to be told” about an issue that remains taboo in Indonesia. Non-legally binding verdicts are expected next year.

Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission [official website, in Indonesian] released a report [executive summary, PDF, in Indonesian] in 2012, which found that the mass killings constituted gross human rights violations. The government dismissed the report’s findings and refused to take further action. The killings followed a fail coup attempt and led to the downfall of President Sukarno and the beginning of of Suharto’s 30-year rule. Rights activists also blame the US, UK and Australia for complicity in the killings by providing support to Suharto’s forces.