Received from Joyo Indonesia News
The Age
Monday, September 15, 2003
Opinion
Timor's 'Disappeared' Await Justice
By Russell Thirgood
Four years
after the East Timorese people voted overwhelmingly for
independence from Indonesia, justice remains elusive for the victims of
the
violence that followed.
Among those
killed in East Timor in 1999 was Ana Xavier da Conceio Lemos, a
34-year-old primary school teacher and mother of three children. Ana had
been
outspoken in her criticism of the Indonesian military and in her support
for
independence. On the day of the independence ballot she was beaten and
interrogated by militiamen led by an Indonesian military officer. She
was
then reported to have been raped in detention before "disappearing".
Her body was
discovered in November 1999.
Ana was
among the estimated 1300 East Timorese people murdered by the
Indonesian security forces and pro-Indonesia militia in 1999. The victims
included political activists, community leaders, students, priests and
nuns.
The crimes
committed were so widespread and systematic that they are
considered to be crimes against humanity. However, four years on, most
of
the victims and their families are still waiting for justice.
Today, many
Indonesian military and police officers who colluded in the
violence remain in active service, some in senior posts in other parts
of
Indonesia where human rights violations are common - Papua and Aceh.
Trials of
suspected perpetrators, which recently concluded in Indonesia, have
been seriously flawed. Most defendants were acquitted, while six men who
received short prison terms have been released pending appeal. They include
several present members of the Indonesian military and police.
A parallel
justice process in East Timor has made considerable progress in
investigating the crimes. Indictments have been issued against more than
300
people, most for crimes against humanity.
But the
persistent refusal of the Indonesian authorities to co-operate with
the justice process in East Timor, and the failure of the Jakarta trials,
means that the international community must now take action.
The UN should
review the Jakarta trials with a view to recommending further
measures to ensure that justice is achieved and the truth revealed.
Only then
will there be a chance that the killers of Ana Lemos and many
others will be brought to justice. Only then might the powerful individuals
behind the killings be prevented from doing similar things to the people
of Papua and
Aceh.
Russell Thirgood is Amnesty International's Australian president.