The Weekend Australian
November 24, 2001, Saturday
21 charged with Timor massacre
Don Greenlees
UNITED Nations prosecutors in East Timor have lodged an indictment against
21 people, including senior Indonesian military, militia and government
officials, over the massacre in the Catholic church in the town of Liquica
in April 1999.
During the April 6 assault, militiamen backed by Indonesian military
and
police killed at least 50 civilians with machetes and guns. Although only
five bodies were recovered, witnesses have testified victims were thrown
in
nearby lakes and buried in mass graves under directions of military and
militia leaders.
The indictment, filed with the special crimes panel of the East Timor
supreme court, names the Liquica district military commander
Lieutenant-Colonel Asep Kuswandi and his deputy, Captain Purwanto.
Other high-ranking officials listed in the 36-page indictment include
the
mayor, Leoneto Martins, the commander of the Besi Merah Putih (Red and
White Iron) militia, Manuel Sousa, and the local police chief,
Lieutenant-Colonel Adios Salofa. Of the 21 named, prosecutors say nine
were
serving members of the Indonesian army at the time.
They are charged with 18 counts of crimes against humanity. The indictment,
which covers a variety of crimes by pro-Indonesian forces in Liquica
between April and September 1999, cites acts of murder, extermination
and
forced deportation.
But the filing of the indictment highlights the constraints on UN
prosecutors in bringing the perpetrators of human rights abuses under
Indonesian rule to justice. Of the 21 accused, only two low-ranking
participants in the April 6 massacre are in custody in East Timor.
The UN authorities in East Timor have signed a memorandum of understanding
with Indonesia on extradition, but there is strong resistance in Jakarta
to
fulfilling extradition requests.
But even if the main culprits remain beyond the reach of the East Timor
courts, the indictment may still serve some purpose. Law enforcement
officials in Indonesia have promised prosecutions over the Liquica
massacre, and included three senior figures on the list of suspects,
including Lieutenant-Colonel Kuswandi and Mr Martins.
According to the latest timetable issued by the Indonesian
Attorney-General's office, the first of five cases of human rights abuses
in East Timor will be taken to a new human rights court next month.
The results of the investigation in East Timor, which is based in part
on
testimony from returned militiamen and ethnic East Timorese members of
the
Indonesian army, could assist, and put pressure on, Indonesian justice
officials and encourage the Attorney-General's office to increase the
number of people facing prosecution.