Serious Crimes Unit Indicts 48 More Suspects
UNWire 1 March 2003
The joint U.N.-Timorese Serious Crimes Unit raised diplomatic tensions
with
Indonesia once again by issuing an indictment today for 48 Timorese and
Indonesians it has charged with crimes against humanity in 1999, including
former East Timor police chief Timbul Silaen and infamous militia leader
Eurico Guterres (Associated Press/Globe and Mail, Feb. 28).
According to LUSA Agencia de Noticias, the list of indictees includes
Indonesian soldiers as well as other prominent militia figures such as
Egidio Manek and Cancio Lopes de Carvalho. The charges include murder,
rape, executions, torture, forced disappearances and forced deportation
and
cover several attacks carried out by militia groups allegedly backed by
the
Indonesian military, particularly the Sept. 6, 1999 attack of police,
soldiers and militiamen on the Red Cross headquarters and residence of
Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo that left several people dead
and
led to the deportation of thousands.
"Almost 5,000 people seeking refuge inside the residence of Ximenes
Belo
were deported by force to (Indonesian West Timor) by soldiers, police
and
militiamen," the indictment charges, blaming Silaen, Guterres and
other
militia figures for other forced deportations that week (LUSA, Feb. 28,
UN
Wire translation). Silaen in particular, is accused by the Timorese-led
court of being behind the forced deportation of at least 25,000 people
(Patricia Nunan, Voice of America, Feb. 28).
Guterres and Silaen are both believed to be residing in Indonesia, AP
reports. A special Indonesian ad hoc tribunal set up to try Indonesian
military and civilian officials accused of crimes against humanity in
1999
has already sentenced Guterres to 10 years in prison, but acquitted
Silaen. Guterres is currently free, pending the outcome of an appeal
(AP/Globe and Mail).
Serious Crimes Unit Prosecutor Stuart Alford said that progress in the
human rights cases is now out of the prosecutors' hands. "There's
little
more that we can do here in East Timor," he said. "We've reached
the limit
of what we can do by completing the investigation and filing the
indictment," he added. "We've got to look to people outside
the
prosecution office here to see what direction the further progress of
this
can take."
According to Voice of America, it looks doubtful that the indictments
will
result in trials given Indonesia's refusal to cooperate with the
tribunal. Jakarta says East Timor's tribunal has no jurisdiction over
Indonesians (Nunan, Voice of America). Together with today's indictments
and other indictments earlier this week, including against former
Indonesian defense chief General Wiranto, the Serious Crimes Unit has
issued charges in 58 cases involving 225 Indonesians and Timorese (LUSA).