US-backed dictator named national hero despite controversial legacy

For decades, Suharto was a feared US-backed dictator known for bloody massacres and corruption, leading to protests when he was posthumously named a national hero of Indonesia. The award, granted by Indonesia’s current leader Prabowo Subianto, who is Suharto’s former son-in-law, has ignited controversy. Suharto rose to power after independence in 1949, but his rule was marked by widespread purges and crackdowns on dissent, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. The US supported his anti-communist actions, compounding the atrocities. After 31 years in power, Suharto’s regime crumbled in 1998 due to economic turmoil and protests.