Indonesians sue Netherlands for 1940s torture

Two people who say that they were tortured and raped by Dutch soldiers in the former Dutch East Indies, want to sue the Dutch State. This is the firs lawsuit for war crimes other than executions. This involves a man who was tortured in 1947 to elicit a confession and a woman who was raped at home in 1949. The Committee Dutch Debts of Honor (KUKB) are preparing these cases. The foundation previously successfully assisted the relatives of men executed in the village of Rawagadeh. Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld is examining the new cases. "Much more went wrong in the Dutch East Indies. Many people in the Netherlands can not imagine", she says. The now 85 year old woman, Tremini, testified that five soldiers of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army raped her at her home. This happened in the East Javanese Christian village of Peniwen. The man, Yasman, was tortured by soldiers in the village of Kebon Agung on Java. "My fingers were tied with a cable that was connected to a device that raised power", said his statement. He also states that in prison he was forced to drink water "after which soldiers stood on our bellies until we vomited water out of our mouths". Earlier this year the Netherlands paid compensation to the widow of a man who was shot and killed in Peniwen, where nurses and patients from the local hospital were executed.