SERIOUS CRIMES UNIT: INFORMATION RELEASE
Baucau Indictment Charges Former Indonesian TNI Commander in Baucau, 12 TNI Members and Baucau Militia Commanders with Crimes Against Humanity
The Acting
Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes filed a Crimes
Against Humanity indictment with the Special Panel for Serious Crimes
in
Timor Leste on 7 October 2003.
The Baucau
indictment charges 17 individuals with a total of 14 counts of
Crimes Against Humanity including murder, torture, persecution and other
inhumane acts committed in an organised campaign of violence against the
civilian population of Baucau district between 26 March and 12 September
1999.
The 17 accused
persons in the indictment include 3 Indonesian and 10 East
Timorese members of the Indonesian military (TNI). The accused TNI members
include Lt. Col. Richard Hutadjulu -the former Indonesian TNI Military
Commander in Baucau district, Capt. Karel Polla -the former Indonesian
Deputy District TNI Military Commander and 7 members of the Intelligence
Section of Baucau TNI Military Command 1628.
The Baucau
indictment also charges Joanico Belo -an East Timorese TNI
Sergeant in the Indonesian Special Forces (Kopassus) who also acted as
the
Commander of the East Timor Integration Fighter Forces (PPI) for the Sector
"A" Eastern region of East Timor and the Commander of Tim Saka
paramilitary
in Baucau district in 1999.
In relation
to incidents before the popular consultation in East Timor in
August 1999, the Baucau indictment specifically charges for the murders
of
two independence supporters and a woman who were allegedly shot by TNI
soldiers including a TNI Sergeant on 26 March 1999 in Gariuai village
in
Baucau subdistrict. The indictment charges 4 TNI members with the murder
of
Julio Caitano Ximenes who was allegedly shot dead by a TNI Sergeant and
the
shooting of an independence supporter by another TNI Sergeant on 27 May
1999 in Uailili village in Baucau subdistrict. The Baucau TNI Commander
and
8 other TNI members are charged with the torture of the 5 independence
supporters who were arrested after the shootings.
The Baucau
indictment also charges for the murders of three civilians in
separate incidents during the violence of September 1999 in Quelicai and
Laga sub-districts: the murder of independence supporter Pedro da Cruz
Soares allegedly shot dead by Cosme Moreira ?the former Deputy Commander
of Tim Saka in Quelicai, the murder of independence supporter Armindo
Belo
Pires allegedly killed by three TNI members at Laga beach and the murder
of
Marcela Buti Fatima who died after being shot by a TNI Sergeant during
an
attack on Tekinomata village. The indictment further charges 6 Tim Saka
and
Rajawali commanders for the destruction of Abo Lir village in Quelicai
during an armed attack in September 1999.
SCU Prosecutors
allege that the Tim Saka paramilitary group was established
by TNI in Baucau district in the early 1980s and during 1999 received
direct orders from TNI commanders and the Baucau TNI Intelligence Section
including instructions to attack independence supporters. The indictment
states that the Tim Saka paramilitary group was armed, trained and funded
by the Baucau district TNI Military Command and received additional funding
from the Government authorities in Baucau district.
All of the
accused in the indictment are believed to be at large in the
Republic of Indonesia. Arrest warrants have been requested from Dili
District Court which will be forwarded to the Attorney General of the
Republic of Indonesia and the Interpol organization when received.
The Serious
Crimes Unit has now filed 79 indictments at the Special Panels
for Serious Crimes charging a total of 367 persons. Of those indicted,
280
accused remain at large in the Republic of Indonesia. Until now, 35 accused
have been convicted in trials at the Special Panel for Serious Crimes
in
Timor Leste.
Details of the Accused
The following
accused are among the 17 persons charged in the Baucau
indictment:
Lt. Colonel
Richard Hutadjulu
(former TNI Commander in Baucau TNI Command 1628)
Captain
Karel Polla
(former Chief of Staff and Deputy TNI Commander in Baucau TNI Command
1628)
Sergeant
Irwan
(former 1st Sergeant in the Intelligence Section of Baucau TNI Command
1628)
Sergeant
Manuel Ariate
(former 2nd Sergeant in the Intelligence Section of Baucau TNI Command
1628
and Tim Saka Commander for Baucau sub-district)
Joanico
Cesario Belo
(former 1st Sergeant Kopassus Special Forces, former Commander of Team
Saka, former Commander of the East Timor Integration Fighter Forces (PPI)
militia
for the Sector "A" region of East Timor and former Commander
of Tim Saka)
Igidio
Sarmento
(former TNI Soldier in Baucau district TNI command 1628, Battalion
Commander (DANYON) of the East Timor Integration Fighter Forces (PPI)
militia for the Sector "A" region and Deputy Commander of Tim
Saka)