also
Journalist
Max Stahl died October 28 after a long
battle with cancer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 Years On Justice for Timorese
Remains Elusive
ETAN Says That It Is Never Too Late
to Hold Accountable
Those Responsible for Santa Cruz Massacre
November 2021
Contact: John M. Miller, Coordinator
ETAN, +1-917-690-4391
On the 30th anniversary
of the Santa Cruz massacre, the East
Timor and Indonesia
Action Network (ETAN) urges the international
community to end impunity for the
human rights crimes committed during the
occupation of Timor-Leste.
"The Santa Cruz massacre is among the
most notorious crimes committed by
Indonesia during its illegal occupation
of Timor-Leste and has waited too long
for justice," said John M. Miller,
National Coordinator of ETAN.
"Those responsible for the massacre and
for the many other crimes against
humanity during Indonesia's illegal
occupation need to be held accountable
for their crimes."
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"The U.S and other governments that
armed and trained Indonesia's
security forces during the Suharto
dictatorship, now actively pursue
business-as-usual with Indonesia
leaving no room for genuine
accountability for their collusion
with Timor's oppression."
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On November 12, 1991, U.S.-armed
Indonesian troops shot hundreds of
peaceful demonstrators calling for
self-determination and protesting
atrocities committed by the Indonesian
military. More than 271 East Timorese
were killed on the spot or died soon
after and an equal number disappeared
and are believed to be dead.
The 1991 massacre was a major turning
point in Timor-Leste's struggle for
liberation. Indonesia's assault was
witnessed and filmed by foreign
journalists. The eyewitness accounts of
U.S.-based Allan Nairn and Amy Goodman,
photographer Steve Cox, and filmmaker
Max Stahl (who died recently,
see below)
countered Indonesia propaganda and
inspired the formation of dozens of
grassroots groups worldwide -
including
ETAN - to support Timor's
self-determination.
During more than two decades of
U.S.-backed occupation, Indonesian
soldiers committed serious crimes with
impunity, taking as many as 184,000
Timorese lives and torturing, raping,
and displacing countless others.
Timor-Leste became independent in 2002.
"The East Timorese people still need to
know where the bodies of their relatives
and friends are," said Miller. "Impunity
for decades of systematic Indonesian
military and police atrocities prevents
both Timor-Leste and Indonesia from
respecting human right and
consolidating the rule of law.
In recent years, Indonesia has
increasingly violated human rights
including stepped up military action in
West Papua and the harassment of human
rights defenders and environmental and
anti-corruption activists.
"The U.S and other governments that
armed and trained Indonesia's security
forces during the Suharto dictatorship,
now actively pursue business-as-usual
with Indonesia leaving no room for
genuine accountability for their
collusion with Timor's oppression,"
Miller added.
Perpetrators
from countries such as the United
States, Britain, and Australia that
actively aided in these crimes by
providing weapons, training, and
political support have yet to be held
accountable.
For more on the Santa Cruz massacre see
ETAN's backgrounder here:
http://etan.org/factsheets/santa_cruz.htm
The East Timor and Indonesia
Action
Network (ETAN) was founded in December
1991 following the Santa Cruz massacre.
ETAN supports democracy, human rights
and justice in Timor-Leste, West Papua
and Indonesia. Website:
www.etan.org
Twitter/Instagram: @etan009.
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Journalist
Max Stahl died October 28 after a long
battle with cancer.
Filmed Santa Cruz massacre |
"ETAN joins the Timorese nation in
mourning the death of Max Stahl. His
footage of Santa Cruz was important in
our organizing, stimulating both outrage
and activism that led to changes in U.S.
policy. His courage was an inspiration
to all of us that knew him" said John M.
Miller. "Our condolences to his family,
friends and colleagues." In 1991,
Stahl said that he kept filming in
the Santa Cruz cemetery as "The soldiers
who arrived fired point blank into a
crowd of a couple of thousand young
people." Burying tapes in a fresh grave. He
returned late at night to retrieve the
tapes and had them smuggled out of the
country. He made the documentary Cold
Blood: The Massacre of East Timor. In 1999,
he filmed Indonesia's punitive
destruction of the country after it
people overwhelming voted for
independence. He later he moved to
Timor-Leste where he started a new family, continued
to make films and share his skills, and
was made an honorary
citizen. The film archive he founded in
Dili - The Max Stahl Audiovisual Centre
for Timor-Leste - stands as a lasting
legacy. see
also
TAPOL mourns loss of Max Stahl,
legendary filmmaker who
committed his life to East Timor
The Guardian: Max Stahl Obituary
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See also
ETAN
Human Rights page
