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Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on justice in East Timor
La'o Hamutuk - September 5, 2012
Ms. Hillary Rodman Clinton
United States Secretary
of State
Your Excellency,
La'o Hamutuk is a civil society organization which for more than a decade has been analyzing, monitoring the development process in Timor-Leste and also conducting advocacy and campaigns to stop impunity in Timor-Leste.
Thirteen years ago, as you know, we Timor-Leste people voted for independence in a referendum for self-determination. We are aware that many countries around the world, including the United States contributed in the realization of our dream of independence.
Today, your visit to our country; coincides with the day, when thirteen years ago we were living in situations of anguish, tears and bloodshed. We hope your visit will give us hope for our wounds, wipe our tears and also relieve our thirst for justice.
Therefore, through this letter we would like to express our hope for you to help break the chain of impunity that still prevails in Timor-Leste. Impunity exists because the international community has forgotten its responsibility to establish an International Tribunal [1] to prosecute the actors involved in crimes against humanity during the Indonesian occupation. Many of these actors are still free and occupy powerful political positions in Jakarta.
We are aware that the United States has a great power in the UN Security Council to lobby and push for the establishment of an international tribunal on Timor-Leste. We and you also believe that justice for Timor-Leste will be an opportunity to stop the violence and other war crimes in other countries.
Today, crimes against humanity are still happening in West Papua, where civilians continues being victims of Indonesian police and military's oppression, a situation that reminiscent of what happened in Timor-Leste. We think that impunity in Timor-Leste provides opportunity and chance for Indonesian police and military to continue their crimes and violate the rights of the Papuan. Therefore, once again we would like to encourage you to use your country's voice and veto to encourage the establishment of an International Tribunal on the crimes against humanity committed in Timor-Leste from 1975 to 1999. Chega! Recommendations 1.6 and 1.7 [2] require the United States to take their responsibility for crimes against humanity which resulted in many casualties among Timor-Leste peoples. We sincerely hope that you can use your ability and authority as a country to assist the Government of Timor-Leste to help the victims of Indonesian occupation to find justice.
Thank you for your collaboration and your spirit of justice and humanity
Sincerely
Mariano Fereira Alexandra
Arnassalon
Coordinator Team of La'o
Hamutuk
[1] CAVR's Recommendation; http://www.cavr-timorleste.org/chegaFiles/finalReportEng/11-Recommendations.pdf
[2] 1.6. The states that had military cooperation programmes with the Indonesian Government during the Commission's mandate period, whether or not this assistance was used directly in Timor-Leste, apologise to the people of Timor-Leste for failing to adequately uphold internationally agreed fundamental rights and freedoms in Timor-Leste during the Indonesian occupation.
1.7. The Permanent Members of the Security Council, particularly the US but also Britain and France, who gave military backing to the Indonesian Government between 1974 and 1999 and who are duty bound to uphold the highest principles of world order and peace and to protect the weak and vulnerable, assist the Government of Timor-Leste in the provision of reparations to victims of human rights violations suffered during the Indonesian occupation.
La'o Hamutuk
Timor-Leste Institute for
Development Monitoring and Analysis
Rua Martires da Patria,
Bebora, Dili, Timor-Leste
Tel: +670 332 1040
email: info@laohamutuk.org
Website: www.laohamutuk.org
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