A-N-T-I
TIMORESE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR AN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
Secretariat : Fongtil-Caicoli, Dili Timor Leste
Tel: +670 7266564 / 7289241
e-mail: lanarra.del@gmail.com or atino@laohamutuk.org
Press Release
Timor-Leste
demands justice - “Because we love peace, and we want the truth to
strengthen reconciliation”
Timor-Leste is celebrating the ten year
anniversary of the restoration of independence, but there is no
space for justice and accountability for crimes against humanity,
war crimes and genocide that occurred during the Indonesian invasion
and occupation.
The Indonesian invasion and occupation of Timor-Leste caused the
death of about 180,000 people between 1975 and 1999. The Security
Council of the United Nations (UN) as many as eight times condemned
the brutality committed by the military. However, the support of the
military powers and the political stance of the large nations led to
the invasion. This is mentioned in the Chega! Report which talks
about the crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes that
violate the principle of universal jurisdiction.
|
Timor-Leste is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the restoration of
independence, but there is no space for justice and accountability for
crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide that occurred during the
Indonesian invasion and occupation.
|
After Indonesia left Timor-Leste in 1999 the UN
established a Commission of Inquiry and at the same time Indonesia
established a Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP-HAM)
in Timor-Leste, and in 2000 the UN Commission and the KPP-HAM
recommended the need to establish an international court if efforts
in Indonesia, Timor-Leste and by the UN failed to end impunity.
After a decade impunity continues and the consequences are very
clear.
The Serious Crimes Unit indicted 391 individuals, including the
former Indonesian Military Commander, General Wiranto, for crimes
that occurred in 1999, however only 87 people were tried, and 84
were convicted. More than 75% have been indicted, and the majority
of them are not citizens of Timor-Leste and are currently living
freely in Indonesia, including some who have high ranking positions
there. The UN and Timor-Leste have issued warrants of arrest for a
total of 303 defendants, and the majority of them have not yet been
arrested, and the aforementioned trials have only dealt with the
violence that occurred in 1999 and did not cover violations that
were committed between 1975 and 1998.
On this day Timor-Leste is proudly celebrating the 10 year
anniversary of its restoration of independence, because now the
people of Timor-Leste are living in a state of freedom, security and
comfort in comparison with 10 years ago where the people were living
in a climate of terror, torture, murder, with their fundamental
human rights being violated and facing other forms of violence
during the period of occupation. We also acknowledge that several
attempts have been made by the governments of Timor-Leste and
Indonesia, as well as the UN, to find a solution to past crimes as
well as efforts to end impunity; however these efforts have
encountered many obstacles on the road towards demanding justice.
Therefore, ANTI reminds all parties who have competence in regards
to the perpetrators of crimes against humanity to do the following:
1. The UN and the international community must execute their
responsibility to initiate an effective mechanism to process serious
crimes that so far have not been dealt with in a credible manner,
because the serious crimes that occurred in Timor-Leste during the
occupation were international crimes that violate international
humanitarian law and war crimes that cannot be handed over to the
people of Timor-Leste to bear the burden.
2. Request for the UN to consider and discuss
the recommendations of the international commission of experts the
Indonesian KPP-HAM and the recommendations of the CAVR that state
the need to establish an international court to deal with these
crimes if national mechanisms are not successful.
3. Request for the government of Timor-Leste to
not shut the door on the possibility of obtaining justice and
accountability for those who perpetrated serious crimes in
Timor-Leste under the occupation of the Indonesian military, to
ensure ongoing peace in this democratic nation based on the rule of
law, even though we understand that as a new country Timor-Leste
does not have sufficient capacity to handle all of these cases on
its own, and that these cases are the responsibility of the
international community, not just Timor Leste.
4. Request for the high ranking officials in
Timor-Leste to sign and ratify the International Convention
regarding protection for all people against forced disappearance, to
start searching for Timorese people who were victims of forced
disappearance during the war so they can be returned to their
families.
5. Request for the government of Indonesia to
fulfill its obligations according to international law to improve
accountability for serious crimes that occurred during the
occupation.
6. Request for all members of civil society to
not be forced back by the obstacles that impede the fight for
justice, but to keep on fighting until justice is realized.
‘The struggle that is never
abandoned can not be lost’
(Patricia Isasa, Human Rights Activist from Argentina).
Dili, 18 May 2012
Signatories to this declaration:
Members of ANTI (Timorese organizations):
• Community Development Interest (CDI)
• East Timor Crisis Reflection Network (ETCRN)
• Forum Tau Matan (FTM)
• Front Mahasiswa Timor-Leste (FMTL)
• Asosiasaun HAK
• Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP)
• Kdalak Solimutu Institute (KSI)
• Knua Buka Hatene (KBH)
• Luta Hamutuk
• Mata Dalan Institute (MDI)
• Organizasaun Popular Vitima da Guerra (OPVG)
• Secretariat of the Timor-Leste NGO Forum (Fongtil)
• Timorese Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis (La’o
Hamutuk)
|
Read Noam Chomsky on 20 years of ETAN
With your help, we can put ETAN on a firmer footing for the
future.
Please give generously in this anniversary year. In doing so,
you can help strengthen
ETAN to meet the challenges of the coming years.
Donate Today
|