JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS — Amnesty International Indonesia has called on Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives to establish a fact-finding team and push the National Police to reopen an investigation into alleged human rights violations against former performers of Oriental Circus Indonesia (OCI).

This call follows a hearing held today in which survivors testified about decades of exploitation and abuse during their time with OCI. Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said the hearing marks a crucial step in the victims’ pursuit of justice.

“Commission III must summon the police to explain why the case was dropped in the past,” Hamid said. “The investigation must be reopened to ensure the state does not repeat its failure to protect victims and deliver justice.”

He also urged the commission to create an independent fact-finding team to investigate the allegations of severe mistreatment, including forced labor, physical abuse, and psychological trauma experienced by the former circus performers.

In addition, Hamid called on Komnas HAM (the National Human Rights Commission) to immediately form a pro-justicia investigation team, ensuring that the case is pursued in an objective, independent, and victim-centered manner.

Survivors have reported being subjected to inhumane treatment, including beatings, electric shocks, forced labor while ill, separation from their children, and even being forced to eat animal waste. One victim said they were forced into training at age five.

An OCI manager, in a recent media statement, admitted that child performers had been beaten with rattan canes as discipline since the 1970s but denied any systematic abuse, claiming the children were treated “like family” and their needs were met.

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