A former military strongman is running for president in Indonesia. The U.S.-trained Prabowo Subianto has been accused of extensive human rights abuses that took place in the 1990s when he was head of the country’s special forces. He was dismissed from the army in 1998 following accusations he was complicit in the abduction and torture of activists during political unrest in Jakarta that led to the ouster of longtime dictator Suharto. We go to Indonesia to speak with journalist and activist Allan Nairn, who is there to reveal the former general’s role in mass killings of civilians. In a new article that has caused an uproar in the county and prompted death threats, Nairn quotes from a 2001 interview he conducted with Prabowo, who said then, “You don’t massacre civilians in front of the world press. … Indonesia is not ready for democracy.” He argued Indonesia needed “a benign authoritarian regime,” and added, “Do I have the guts? Am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?” This coincides with outrage over the release of a music video made by Prabowo supporters showing them in Nazi-like uniforms.

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