5 d. ago Indonesia declares late dictator Suharto ‘national hero’ despite protests

Critics say move reflects attempts to whitewash military dictator’s legacy

Events

5 d. ago Indonesia declares late dictator Suharto a national hero, despite outrage from rights groups

Indonesia has declared former dictator Suharto a national hero, provoking outrage from rights group who say the move is an attempt to whitewash decades of human rights abuses and corruption that took place during his 32 years in power

Politics

5 d. ago Fury as Indonesia declares late authoritarian ruler Suharto a national hero

Suharto presided over a period marked by rampant corruption, nepotism, censorship and allegations of mass human rights abusesIndonesia has awarded former authoritarian leader Suharto the title of national hero, in a move that has sparked accusations of historical revisionism in the world’s third-largest democracy.The award has deepened fears about attempts to whitewash Suharto’s rise and decades-long rule, a period marked by rampant corruption, censorship and accusations of mass human rights violations. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Sarkozy’s first day in prison: no citizen is above the law | Editorial

Attempts by the former French president and his supporters to discredit the legal process by which he was sentenced have been irresponsible and unjustifiedAs he was transported to La Santé prison in Paris on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy posted a message brimming with defiance on X, writing “It’s not a former president of the republic who is being jailed this morning, it’s an innocent man”. A court of appeal will eventually give its view on the veracity of the second clause of that statement. But unfortunately for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and significance of his fall cannot simply be wished away.President of France between 2007 and 2012, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to obtain illicit campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Handed a five‑year sentence, he has become the first former leader of an EU country to go behind bars, and the first French leader since the disgraced head of Vichy France, Philippe Pétain...

Events

3 w. ago British grandmother who is being returned to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia was granted repatriation after doctors declared she was 'seriously ill'

A British grandmother who is being returned to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia was granted repatriation after doctors declared her 'seriously ill.'

Events

3 w. ago Nicolas Sarkozy to enter prison for criminal conspiracy over Libyan funding

Former French president set to start five-year sentence for scheme to obtain campaign funds from Muammar Gaddafi’s regimeThe former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will go to prison on Tuesday after a court sentenced him to five years for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.Sarkozy, who was the rightwing president of France between 2007 and 2012, will become the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the first French postwar leader to be jailed. Continue reading...

Events