"The International
Community Must Act to Ensure Justice Regarding Crimes Against Humanity
in East Timor Committed by Indonesian Security Forces"
The Indonesian court system, historically subject to political influence,
has voided all convictions of Indonesian military and police for
their crimes against humanity in East Timor in 1999. The special
Indonesian court which convened to hear the cases of those who led
the assault against East Timorese following their historic
vote for independence in 1999 freed most of those charged but did
convict and impose light sentences on four senior security officials.
The Indonesian Appeals Court has overturned convictions for the
four Indonesian military and police convicted for human rights crimes
associated with the murder of over 1,000 East Timorese and the destruction
of three quarters of East Timor's infrastructure. In addition, the
Appeals Court cut in half the sentence of one leader of a militia
that was organized and directed by the Indonesian military.
Two of the senior officials whose convictions were overturned had
been indicted on three counts of crimes against humanity by the
U.N. Serious Crimes Unit in a joint indictment with East Timorese
authorities at the Dili District Court in East Timor. The Indonesian
government, however, has vowed not to extradite anyone to the U.N.-backed
courts in Dili, in effect precluding pursuit of justice through
this international route.
Given the failure of the Indonesian judicial system to address
these manifest crimes, it is necessary that the international community
exercise its responsibility to secure justice. Respected international
human rights advocates have called for the United Nations to create
a new judicial process that would bring to justice those responsible
for these crimes. In this regard we note calls for creation of a
Commission of Experts to review the judicial processes in Jakarta
and Dili and propose a transparent process that would ensure justice
is done.
The United States East Timor Society, a not-for-profit, non-governmental
organization incorporated in the District of Columbia composed of
religious leaders, academics, scholars, human rights advocates and
former diplomats,
supports calls for prompt international action, in frank acknowledgement
that
the Indonesian judicial system has failed to render and is impeding
justice
regarding the crimes against humanity committed in East Timor in
1999.
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