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After 20 years of being blocked, Defense Minister (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto finally obtained a visa from Uncle Sam’s country. Prabowo will fulfill an invitation to the United States (USA) in mid-October 2020.
Prabowo’s ‘warm and cold’ relationship with the United States began when Prabowo, who previously served as Kopassus Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Pangkostrad), was held responsible for the enforced disappearance of several activists in 1997-1998. Prabowo was removed from his post as Pangkostrad in 1999. The issue of human rights violations reached Prabowo.
Since then, word has spread that Prabowo has been denied entry to the United States due to the problem of human rights violations. In 2000, Prabowo was denied entry to the United States.
At the time, Prabowo planned to go to America to attend the graduation of his son, Regowo Hediprasetyo or Didit.
It was unclear why the US State Department rejected Prabowo’s visa at the time. A New York Times report in March 2014 said Washington had distanced itself from Suharto supporters after the fall of the New Order regime.
This rejection lasted two decades.
The latest news broke that Prabowo had been allowed to re-enter the United States. The news came from the report published by Politico on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.
In the report, Politico journalist Nahal Toosi quoted a source from the US State Department about granting visas to Defense Minister Prabowo.
“The State Department has decided to grant Secretary of Defense PRABOWO SUBIANTO a visa to enter the United States, according to someone with knowledge of the department’s actions,” the report says.
Toosi also said that Prabowo is expected to visit in late October.
“Prabowo is expected to visit later this month. He has long been blacklisted by the United States for his alleged role in human rights abuses for decades,” he continued.
However, a spokesman for the US State Department declined to comment, citing confidentiality rules governing visas.
