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Amnesty warns against Timor-Leste’s "culture of impunity"

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    BANGKOK

    Amnesty International has urged the government of Timor-Leste to close a legal loophole that allows perpetrators of crimes against humanity to go unpunished.



    Timor-Leste became formally independent in 2002 after a 24-year occupation by the Indonesian military in 1975-1999 that cost up to 200,000 lives, but gaps in the penal code mean pardons can be granted for war crimes, says Amnesty in a new report.



    The UN’s Serious Crimes Unit indicted 391 people in 2003 for crimes against humanity committed in Timor-Leste, but most of them enjoy sanctuary in Indonesia. Calls for an international tribunal for such war crimes have been vehemently opposed by President Jose Ramos-Horta, who insists a policy of forgiveness is the best route.



    “For the sake of security, long-term stability in the country as well as the building of a young judiciary, it is essential to try these crimes,” Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty’s researcher on Timor-Leste, told IRIN by phone from London. “In Indonesia, many people who are responsible for the most horrific crimes are running free. These are elements that can destroy a country.”



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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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