How should the massacres of hundreds of thousands of unarmed Indonesians in 1965-66 be explained? Historians of Indonesia disagree on many points, even on basic facts like the identity of the perpetrators and the victims.

Unfortunately, we have very few facts even after 50 years, and a great deal more research remains to be done. 

This lecture, based on the latest research, presents the general outlines, which are clear enough: The Indonesian Army high command in Jakarta ordered its officers to massacre members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and to hide the traces of their crimes. 

We have also programmed two movies about this topic: The Act of Killing & The Look of Silence.