25 August 2008

UN calls for justice in East Timor

The National Jesse Wright 24 August 2008 8:40PM UAE

DILI - Eriancy Situmora was in court last year when the four soldiers who killed her husband and seven other unarmed police officers were convicted of one of the worst atrocities during weeks of rioting in the capital in 2006.The East Timorese soldiers were sentenced to between 10 and 12 years each and collectively were ordered to pay Mrs Situmora – now a widowed mother of two – US$250 in compensation.

When the verdict was handed down by the civilian court, Mrs Situmora thought it was over. She thought justice had been served.

But it had not.

Today, not a single soldier sits in a civilian prison. All are still receiving a salary from the military, but not a penny has been paid to the victims.

In a scathing UN report delivered this month to the UN Security Council, the East Timorese mission concluded the four soldiers “continue to evade serious detention”. Read more...

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