Ad Hoc Human Rights Court Report No. 1

Ad Hoc Human Rights Court

East Timor/Indonesia

English

Presently, the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court is holding a trial for Crimes Against Humanity in East Timor for the prereferendum and post-referendum periods (April - September 1999). Until this moment, the court is prosecuting three case files. One is under the name Abilio Soares (the former Governor of East Timor, and another for five defendants namely, Herman Sedyono (former KDH Regent Level 2 Covalima, East Timor), Liliek Koeshadianto (former Military District Commander/DANDIM 1635 Suai), Gatot Subiyaktoro (Former Head of the District Police Department of Suai), Achmad Syamsudin (former Chief of Staff, Military District 1635 Suai) and Sugito (former Commander, Military Rayon of Suai). The third lawsuit puts forth Timbul Silaen (former Head of the District Police Department of East Timor) as the defendant. These three court files covers the Gross Violations of Human Rights incidents during the pre-referendum and postreferendum periods that occur in the months of April - September 1999, with locus delicti in Liquisa, Suai and Dili.

 Whereas, this Ad Hoc Human Rights Court is the first trial that deals with a form of extra-ordinary crimes, and the result of the process becomes a guide for the settlement of various cases of human rights violations that occurs in Indonesia. In relation with this, the Institutes for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) deems it necessary to observe the process of the trial. The observation in the form of this monitoring is done based on a series of examining the process of the trial. In this first progress report, the main emphasis is placed on the content of the indictments and the defendant's notes of objection, as well as the panel of judges' preliminary verdict.