Ita Martadinata Haryono | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaretha Martadinata Haryono (1981-03-21)March 21, 1981 |
| Died | October 9, 1998(1998-10-09) (aged 17) Sumur Batu, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Other names | Ita |
| Occupation(s) | student, activist |
| Organization | Tim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan |
| Parents |
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Margaretha Martadinata Haryono (March 21, 1981 – October 9, 1998),[1] orIta Martadinata Haryono, better known by her nickname,Ita, was aChinese Indonesianhuman rightsactivist who wasmurdered in 1998,[2] a case which is stillunsolved.
Ita Martadinata Haryono was born inSumur Batu,Kemayoran,Central Jakarta,Jakarta,Indonesia on March 21, 1981, as the youngest child of the two children of businessman Joko Leo Haryono (born 1949) and human rights activist Wiwin Haryono.[3][4]
At the age of 18 and while a senior year student in Paskalis SeniorHigh School in Jakarta, Ita was found dead on October 9, 1998, in her bedroom in Sumur Batu, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.[5] Her stomach, chest, and right arm werestabbed ten times, while her neck was slashed and a wooden stick had been shoved inside her anus.[6] The murder occurred just three days after aJakartapress conference held by the human rights organizations that Ita had been involved with. The groups claimed that several of their members had received death threats in an attempt to stop them calling for an international investigation into the gang-rapes, murder, and burning ofIndonesian Chinese girls and women during theMay 1998 riot; a riot which ultimately forcedSuharto tostep down from thepresidency.
Police concluded that Ita's death was an ordinary crime, committed by adrug addict who had entered Ita's home to rob it. According to the police statement, he was caught in the act by Ita and therefore decided to kill her. However, others question this statement because Ita and her mother, Wiwin Haryono, were due to leave in a few days for theUnited States together with four victims of the May 1998 riot to present their testimony before theU.S. Congress. Ita and her mother had been deeply involved in giving help andcounseling to the victims of the riot.
The group Ita and her mother had worked most closely with, an organization calledTim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan (Voluntary Team for Humanity), concluded that Ita's murder was a warning to them and others who were involved in thishumanitarian effort, to discontinue their activities.