The documentary film Those Who Are Never Lost (Yang Tak Pernah Hilang) began screening at the Epicentrum 2 Cinema in Jakarta today, Saturday June 22. The film was conceived as a form of memorialisation and to support the struggle to #MelawanLupa (Fight Forgetting) the dark history of human rights violations in 1997-98.
The Indonesian Association of the Families of Missing Persons (IKOHI) and #KawanHeramBimo (Comrades Heram Bimo) held a press conference at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) office in Jakarta on Friday June 21 to mark to the launch of the film.
This film tells the story of two student activists from Airlangga University, Herman Hendrawan (Heram) and Petrus Bima Anugerah (Bimo), who were abducted and disappeared in 1997-98. Previously the film Those Who Are Never Lost was first launched in Surabaya, East Java, in March.
The producer of the film, who is also the chairperson of the East Java IKOHI, Dandik Katjasekana, said that the making of the film is part of an effort to urge the government and the political elite to resolve this case and as part of the #MelawanLupa struggle.
"This film is an effort to revive the memories of missing friends and [because] there has been no effort to uncover their whereabouts to this day", he said.
According to Katjasekana, the idea for the film was conceived in 2019 and completed in February 2024. Katjasekana is of the view that the issue of humanity is the common thread in the film.
"Don't let the big issue of humanity about the forced disappearances that we take up in this film to in the end be considered small change", he said.
Utomo Rahardjo, the father of Bimo Petrus, conceded that he was filled with emotion at watching the film. "Like a new energy to fight for my child who is still missing. The efforts to remember Bimo and Herman through this film have become a strength in itself for me", he said.
Hendrawan's family in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung Islands province, said the film ensures that the figure of Hendrawan will always remain alive. Hendrawan's older sister Hera Haslinda said the film confirmed that Herman had never disappeared from memory.
"This film affirms that Herman has never disappeared from the memories and hearts of all those closest to him. Even though physically Herman is no longer among us", she said.
A Jember University faculty of social and political science lecturer who was also a friend of the two activists, Muhammad Iqbal, said that the loss of Herman and Bimo was a humanitarian tragedy.
"The film Those (Who are Never) Lost must be seen in the context of future history, how civilisation is built on responsibility, honesty, openness, which to this day is absent. The big problem is how to uncover this humanitarian incident", he said.
Meanwhile, Airlangga University social and political science faculty lecture Airlangga Pribadi said that in tracing the history of the film, it can be seen that those who fought for democracy in 1998 turned out to be people who loved their country.
"They had an insight and deep vision of democracy. They sacrificed everything to reform justice in this republic", he said.
According to IKOHI Secretary General Zaenal Mutaqien, the film will help the younger generation to know about the historical injuries behind the heroic tale of the 1998 reformasi movement – the struggle to overthrow the Suharto dictatorship.
"The dark story of power that used the military to abduct reformasi activists is important for young people so it is not repeated in the future. This film is a means of struggle against forgetting", said Mutaqien.
In the end, the film can also be considered a spokesperson for the families of the pro-democracy activists abducted in 1997 and 1998.
Hendrawan's sister Hera Haslinda is asking the government to be serious about resolving the enforced disappearances of the 13 students in 1997-98.
"For the government, I ask for help to resolve this, a full resolution of this so it's revealed. If you really know [where] their tombs are, the graves, yeah, tell us so we can go there, hold a ziarah [a pilgrimage to a sacred place]. If indeed that are not known, the government [must] make a statement" she said.
Utomo Rahardjo, who has also fought for more than 26 years to obtain certainty about his son revealed, "What makes the families of the victims anxious is that we don't know the whereabouts of our children. So, the first thing we want is for the government to look for the whereabouts of these activists", he said.
He hopes that the film will be a trigger for the government to resolve the case of the forced disappearance of the activists in 1997-98 and encourage people to continue to fight to #MelawanLupa in all cases of past human rights violations.
Notes
In 1997-98 as many as 23 pro-democracy activists were abducted by members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus). After extended periods of detention – in many cases the victims were severely tortured – most were released although 13 remain missing and are presumed dead. Former Kopassus commander Lieutenant General Prabowo Subianto, who was at the time President Suharto's son-in-law, has admitted to ordering the abductions but claims they were all released alive and well. He was subsequently dismissed from the military over the abductions but has never been tried in court. Despite these allegations, Prabowo won the February 2024 presidential election and along with running mate President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son Gibran Rakabuming Raka will be inaugurated as Indonesia's next president in October.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "IKOHI dan #KawanHermanBimo Luncurkan Film".]
