28 October 2014

Oecusse District Court conducts trials on national holiday (20 August 2014)

ETLJB 28/10/2014 From JSMP Press Release Oecusse District Court 26 August 2014 - The 20th August 2014 was established as a national holiday for Falintil Day; however the Oecusse District Court still managed to conduct three hearings that were previously scheduled for this day. These cases comprised two cases of simple assault characterised as domestic violence and one case of simple assault.

The court decided to conduct these trials because previously the court had summoned the parties and they appeared in court. The court also considered the increasing number of cases involving domestic violence that are appearing before the court.

In addition, the court considered that the parties had responded to the summons despite their limited means, and they had faced difficulties and had travelled a considerable distance. Therefore, even though it was a national holiday the hearings went ahead to ensure that the public and the parties in particular would not lose their faith in the formal justice system.

“JSMP really values the commitment and dedication of the judicial actors and other related parties because they have given top priority to the difficulties faced by the parties as well as the interests of those seeking justice. This shows the meaning of the responsibility borne by each institution in ensuring justice for the public”, said the Executive Director of JSMP, Luis de Oliveira Sampaio.

The court was able to resolve two of these cases and the other case is ongoing.

JSMP hopes that good practices and commitment like this will be a reference point for the other courts in order to strengthen public trust in the formal justice system.

This hearing was presided over by single judge Joao Ribeiro. The Public Prosecution Service was represented by Ambrosio Rangel Freitas and the defendants were represented by public defender Calisto Tout. 

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