Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – It was four in the afternoon, and the clouds had hung in the sky since morning. Such a gloomy backdrop seemed fitting for a protest held by human rights activists and victims in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta.

They gathered and stood still, silently demanding the President pursue all unsolved cases of human rights violations in the country. Most were dressed in black. They unfurled banners, one of which read, "SBY don't be silent! Investigate tragedies of human rights thoroughly!".

Not long after, the drizzle started to wet the capital. The group then opened up umbrellas, also in black and marked like the banners.

"This rally is a reminder for the Indonesian people that there are human rights violations perpetrated from the 1960s to the 1990s and none of the cases have been solved," Heru Atmodjo, 80, told The Jakarta Post at the 47th Kamisan, a weekly rally, last Thursday.

He said this showed there was no justice in Indonesia such as the government had always boasted, adding the group would continue to conduct these silent demonstrations until the persons responsible for all the incidents were tried.

Of his own experiences, he declined to say. He added, however, than many people he knew went missing or dead. "I will never tire fighting for upholding justice for human rights victims. Fatigue means nothing compared to the injustice received by the victims," he said.

His hand trembled while holding the umbrella, but his eyes, behind his glasses, showed his determination.

Eko Haji Wardoyo, 78, who was a civil servant in 1965, said two of his siblings were killed in the riots that year. "My eldest brother was shot to death by an Army officer in Semawung, Central Java, because he was a youth leader and was suspected of being an Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) member, while my second brother was taken to Buru Island," he said.

The 1965 massacre took place after the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was accused of masterminding the coup of Sept. 30, 1965, which resulted in the killings of several military generals.

When former president Soeharto rose to power after the incident, his administration sent thousands of PKI members and suspected members to prison without trial. Many were killed. Up to now, there is no exact figure of victims killed in the incident. Some people say thousands, but others believe the number could reach a million.

Eko seemed lost in his thought for a moment, trying to collect that bitter memory in his life. "I got shot too. Three times, twice in my chest and once in my arm," he said.

He said he was brought to the capital after being accused of being a PKI member, then imprisoned in Tangerang, Banten and Jakarta for more than 10 years. "I have accepted the losing of my brothers," he said, adding he only wanted to claim his rights as a civil servant.

Hendardi from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association said forgiving was a personal matter but justice needed to be upheld. "Forgiving and upholding justice are two different things," he said.