Thursday, 31 January, 2002, 12:32 GMT
E Timor rights court installed
More than 1,000 people are thought to have died Indonesia has officially
inaugurated the human rights court that will try military officers and
others for atrocities in East Timor following the territory's independence
vote in 1999.
Eleven judges, most of them university law professors, have been sworn
in
and will join 12 career judges already appointed.
Indonesia has been under international pressure to proceed with the trials
of at least 18 army leaders and militiamen accused of widespread killings
by pro-Indonesian forces in East Timor.
No trial dates have been set.
A US-based legal group has expressed doubts over the trials, saying only
an
international tribunal could deliver justice.
In a statement, an international group of lawyers and legal scholars
said:
"Given the current political climate in Indonesia, convictions of
high-level military personnel seem unlikely."
International fears
There has already been criticism from some quarters at the decision by
the
attorney-general's office not to prosecute the then-defence minister and
armed forces chief General Wiranto, despite suggestions by human rights
groups that he was morally responsible for the violence.
Earlier this month General Wiranto criticised the forthcoming trials
and
said his soldiers had done nothing wrong.
Supreme Court Justice Bagir Manan swore in the new judges on Thursday,
telling reporters afterwards: "I can guarantee that the judicial
system
will be independent because the judges have high moral integrity."
But he acknowledged that if the tribunal was not satisfactory, the cases
could be brought before an international war crimes tribunal.
New country
East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in August 1999, sparking
a
bloody rampage by pro-Jakarta militias. The United Nations estimates more
than 1,000 people were killed but Indonesia has not yet carried out any
prosecutions.
In December, a United Nations tribunal in East Timor sentenced 10 members
of pro-Indonesian militia to jail terms of up to 33 years for human rights
atrocities.
East Timor is under UN administration, but is due to become a fully
independent nation on 20 May, following presidential elections.
Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said
the
first of the Jakarta trials would be "in not too long a time".
He said the court had adopted international humanitarian laws on crimes
against humanity, torture and genocide.