SERIOUS CRIMES UNIT INFORMATION RELEASE
24 November 2003
SPECIAL PANEL JUDGES SENTENCE CARLOS SOARES TO 4 ½ YEARS FOR MURDER INSEPTEMBER 1999
On 24 November 2003, Judges at the Special Panels for Serious Crimes foundCarlos Soares (aka Carman) guilty of murder. The Special Panel of Judgessentenced Carlos Soares to 4 years 6 months imprisonment for the murder ofGraciano Mau Mario in Ermera district on 19 September 1999.
The Special Panel of three Judges convicted Carlos Soares of Murder inviolation
of section 8 of UNTAET Regulation 2000/15 and article 338 of theIndonesian
Penal Code. Carlos Soares was found guilty of murder for thestabbing of
Graciano Mau Mario in the back with a metal spear on 19
September 1999 in Aitura village in Ermera district. Mau Mario had laterdied
of his injuries.
During the trial, the SCU Prosecutor in the case had argued that Soareskilled
Graciano Mau Mario after being verbally insulted by him, while theDefense
counsel claimed that Soares had acted in self-defence. The SpecialPanel
of Judges did not accept the defence of self-defence or accidental
act, and found Soares responsible for the murder of Mau Mario.
The case of Carlos Soares is a regular murder case from the 1999 periodwithout
any connection to the Crimes against Humanity cases against TNI andmilitia
members which are the main focus of the investigations andprosecutions
of the SCU.
The Special Panels for Serious Crimes in Timor Leste are currently hearingcases
of Crimes against Humanity as well as serious crimes such as murderand
rape from the period of 1 January 1999 to 25 October 1999. Until now,the
majority of the 39 defendants convicted by the Special Panels since
trials began in January 2001 have been East Timorese TNI soldiers andmilitia
members convicted of Crimes against Humanity or serious crimes.
The two Special Panels for Serious Crimes in Timor Leste are each comprisedof 2 International Judges and one East Timorese Judge. The Special Panelsof Judges are currently hearing 8 cases of Crimes against Humanity andserious crimes committed in 1999 in Timor Leste with another 12 trials ofaccused persons present in Timor Leste scheduled to commence in the coming months.
Since 2000, the Serious Crimes Unit has indicted a total of 367 personswith 280 of those accused presently outside the jurisdiction of TimorLeste.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SCU CONTACT scu@un.org