CIAO DATE: 04/05

Truth, Justice and Reconciliation in a Post-Conflict Context

Abstract

When the Indonesian government agreed to hold the ballot of independence in East Timor in August 1999, it led to a cascade of violence throughout the pre-ballot period by pro-integration militias and Indonesian security forces. The violence that was perpetrated in East Timor in 1999 has been defined as crimes against humanity. It included murder, rape, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. After the result of the ballot was announced the violence accelerated out of control. The number of dead is estimated to be between 1,300 and 1,500, most of the population was displaced and 70% of the infrastructure destroyed. Re-construction, re-building and reconciliation were now on the agenda.

The demand for truth and justice, thereby the desire to achieve reconciliation, began in East Timor as soon as the multinational peacekeeping troops arrived in September 1999. The Timorese people had suffered human rights violations for decades and after the ballot the desire for truth about these crimes was intense.

Full Text (PDF, 29 pages, 205 KB)