Title	Indonesia (East Timor): Demand for justice
Publisher	Amnesty International
Publication Date	28 October 1999
Country	Indonesia
Topics	Crimes against humanity | Impunity
Citation / Document Symbol	ASA 21/191/1999
Cite as	Amnesty International, Indonesia (East Timor): Demand for justice, 28 October 1999, ASA 21/191/1999, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a9c48.html [accessed 30 May 2023]
Comments	There has been a long-standing pattern of serious human rights violations committed in East Timor since the Indonesian invasion of the territory in 1975. The Indonesian National Army, (TNI) and the paramilitary and militia groups that it has armed and trained, have been responsible for numerous acts of violence and intimidation against large sections of the East Timorese population, including extra-judicial executions, 'disappearances', and torture. During the popular consultation process in East Timor, militia groups, acting in collusion with the TNI and the police, engaged in a systematic campaign to derail the process and/or intimidate people into voting for the option of special autonomy within Indonesia. Following the ballot on the future of East Timor on 30 August 1999, the militia groups and the TNI engaged in a systematic wave of violence against the people of East Timor. Throughout East Timor houses and other buildings were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people fled to the hills in a desperate attempt to escape the violence. Over 200,000 people either fled or were forcibly displaced by the TNI and militias out of East Timor and are now refugees in West Timor and other parts of Indonesia. Although lack of access to these refugees makes verification difficult, Amnesty International has received credible reports that these refugees continue to suffer from violence, intimidation and threats from militia members, including abductions and extrajudicial executions. These widespread and systematic attacks on the people of East Timor, committed by the Indonesian security forces and the militia groups constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. The perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice. Under international law, individuals in the Indonesian government and military chain of command are responsible for crimes against humanity or war crimes committed by their subordinates, if they knew that such abuses were taking place and did not act to prevent them. This principle of criminal responsibility extends to such crimes committed by militias that are not part of official military structures but have been effectively operating under their control. It is vital to the future of East Timor that the individuals responsible for these crimes are held fully to account.
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