16-07-2002 19:57:00 GMT
East Timor: Proposed amnesty bill proves controversial
A draft bill on amnesty and pardoning of sentences has been criticized
as
being "unconstitutional", "too general" and open to
"dangerous
interpretation", by a leading Timorese nongovernmental organization
concerned with legal matters.
Justice System Monitoring Program (JSMP) has analyzed the proposed amnesty
bill, currently before East Timor`s Parliament, and a copy of the report
has been seen by Lusa.
According to JSMP, the new legislation does not make a distinction between
crimes committed during conflict periods and those committed in situations
of peace.
"Granting amnesty to everyone who robbed or destroyed property after
the UN
arrived undoes all the police and court work in the past three years",
says
the JSMP report.
There is clear divergence in the position of Timor`s leaders on the amnesty
question, with President Xanana Gusmao advocating a more general pardoning
than the head of the country`s Catholic church, Bishop Belo, who has called
for "justice" to be invoked in the matter.
The amnesty bill was approved by the Dili cabinet on May 24 and some
government sources say the proposals were "hurried" in their
preparation.
The amnesty controversy comes ahead of a seminar Wednesday, entitled
Amnesty or Reconciliation, to be held at the Dili headquarters of East
Timor`s Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR).
The one-day meeting will discuss the different viewpoints and implications
of the draft law before the Dili Parliament.
CJB/ASP -Lusa-