1951 mass arrests in Indonesia
Parliamentarian Sarwono being arrested in Indonesian parliament, 16 August 1951 | |
| Date | August 6 – September 28, 1951 |
|---|---|
| Location | throughout Java and Sumatra |
| Also known as | August Raid |
| Type | Mass arrest, Preventive detention |
| Motive | political repression |
| Target | Communist Party of Indonesia leaders and members, trade unionists, leftists, other politicians |
| Perpetrator | Government of Indonesia, Soekiman Cabinet, Indonesian National Armed Forces |
| Arrests | approximately 15,000 |
Mass arrests, primarily of communists and leftists, were carried out in Java and Sumatra in August and September 1951. Sometimes called the August Raid, or in Indonesian the Razia Agustus (August Razzia), this was a move by the Indonesian government, led by the Soekiman Cabinet, to prevent a rumoured coup by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and its allies. The total number of detainees started with several hundred in early August and ended up as roughly 15,000 across Indonesia by October. Many were released without charge within days or months, but some remained in detention until the Wilopo Cabinet took power in April 1952.