Ad Hoc Human Rights Court Report No. 6

Ad Hoc Human Rights Court

East Timor/Indonesia

English

Since initiated in February 2002, the ad hoc human right trial has processed 12 gross human right violation in East Timor cases. Three cases has reached the verdicts which are considered to be controversial and has caused mixed reaction from the public inside and outside the country. The "not guilty" verdict has invited criticism both from inside and outside country, but it doesn't seems to give any significant improvement to the trial quality of cases that follow later.

Because of the jurisdiction of this trial is to investigate the case which is called crime against humanity , we could say that the trial is investigating the most dangerous crime, executed systematically, related to the policy of government agency (police and/or military) or some political entity (organization). It means the crime against humanity is a crime related with the state's or an organization's policy. So, the crime against humanity is a brutal action which is sponsored, facilitated and carried out by the government or organization to accomplish or promote its political will. Thus the most essential aspect of it is the fact that the actor is a part of state agency. That principle and spirit make this ad hoc human right trial different from ordinary criminal trial.