(New York, February 26, 2003) - Indonesia must hand over indicted Indonesian officials to the joint U.N.-East Timor court responsible for prosecuting organizers of the atrocities committed in 1999, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should call on Jakarta to extradite all indicted Indonesian officials for trial in Dili.
In a bold step forward, the East Timor Serious Crimes Unit filed an indictment on February 24, charging the East Timor 8--four Indonesian generals, three colonels, and the former governor of East Timor--with crimes against humanity. The charges include murder, arson, destruction of property and forced relocation. The indictment covers crimes committed before and after East Timor's referendum on independence in August 1999. The accused include former Indonesian Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Commander General Wiranto. All of the suspects are believed to be in Indonesia."This is the first genuine attempt to hold senior officials accountable for the organized violence in 1999," said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch. "The big test now will be whether Indonesia is prepared to arrest those indictees in Indonesia and send them to Dili for trial. This will require a fundamental change in Indonesia's attitude towards justice for East Timor."
Just how difficult this will be was demonstrated by the reaction of Indonesia's current Foreign Affairs Minister, Hasan Wirajuda, who said the government would "simply ignore" the indictments.
In September 1999, the Indonesian military and pro-Jakarta Timorese militias went on a campaign of murder, arson and forced expulsion after the people of East Timor voted for independence in a United Nations administered referendum. An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 East Timorese civilians lost their lives in the months before, and days immediately after, the voting. Approximately 500,
Related Material
Justice Denied for East Timor
Background Briefing, December 20, 2002
Indonesia's Court for East Timor a "Whitewash"
Press Release, December 20, 2002