Global Courant
Warning: This podcast is an audio documentary of a true crime case that may be disturbing and upsetting to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
Sorcery is against Islamic teachings, but today many in Indonesia still consult black magic practitioners for advice. In 1998, a series of assassinations by unknown masked ‘ninjas’ targeting alleged sorcerers in East Java sent the community into a period of mass hysteria, violence and retaliatory attacks.
The murders sparked discussions about the need and ways to regulate sorcery, prevent similar cases, and prevent people from taking the law into their own hands. The legal loophole was finally closed last year, in 2022, when sorcery laws were incorporated into the revised Penal Code passed by parliament.
The government is also seeking an out-of-court settlement of the case, along with 11 other human rights violations.
Arlina Arshad, head of ST’s Indonesian bureau, narrates this podcast. The reporting and scripting for this episode was done by ST’s Indonesia Correspondent Linda Yulisman.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:20 Why sorcery has long been a part of Indonesia’s life and culture, even among the country’s leading figures
10:05 From 1998 to 1999, a savage wave of hysteria spread against alleged practitioners of black magic
20:15 Bigger motives behind attacks? Insight into the history of the Banyuwangi region and the period of political transition in Indonesia
28:40 Were the attacks likely carried out by trained assassins with ties to the military?
33:35 Why it took decades to criminalize witchcraft and sorcery in Indonesia
Interviews by: Linda Yulisman (ylinda@sph.com.sg)
Narrated by: Arlina Arshad (aarlina@sph.com.sg)
Executive Producers: Ernest Luis (ernest@sph.com.sg) and Tan Tam Mei (tammei@sph.com.sg)
Podcast Producers: Hadyu Rahim & Fa’izah Sani
Voiceovers: Hairianto Diman, Deepanraj Ganesan, Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Dominic Nathan, Lee Nian Tjoe, Colin Tan, Eddino Abdul Hadi, Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim.
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