Justice Denied! - Washington, DC event

Justice Denied!
East Timor's Struggle for Justice Ten Years After Voting for Independence

Monday, October 5, 7:00pm

at the offices of Friends of the Earth: 1717 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite #600 (near Dupont Circle), Washington, DC

A Discussion with John M. Miller of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and T. Kumar of Amnesty International

In August the people of East Timor celebrated ten years since voting for independence from Indonesia, following a brutal 24-year military occupation. On this historic anniversary, please join us to discuss the continuing Timorese struggle for justice and against impunity for human rights violations.

While calls continue around the world for justice and accountability for Indonesian officials and others indicted for crimes against humanity committed during the occupation, the President of East Timor recently declared that East Timor would not pursue an international tribunal, despite overwhelming demands for justice by the East Timorese. At the same time, East Timor's Prime Minister secretly released, Martenus Bere, a militia leader indicted for crimes against humanity into the hands of Indonesian authorities.

Indonesia's brutal quarter-century occupation of East Timor left up to 180,000 dead. In 1999, first to intimidate Timorese against voting for independence and then to punish them for it, the Indonesian military organized a scorched-earth campaign that left at least 1,400 dead and hundreds of thousands of civilians forcibly displaced. Not a single Indonesian official has been held accountable for these crimes.

T. Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International, will discuss Amnesty's recent report calling for an international tribunal for East Timor. John M. Miller, National Coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, was in East Timor in August and September and will discuss how justice is viewed by members of Timorese civil society and current organizing for an international tribunal. John participated in the country’s celebration of its historic referendum, including a major conference of Timorese and international solidarity activists committed to organizing for social and economic justice in the millennium’s first nation.

Organized by the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN), Washington, DC.
Questions, please write: craig@etan.org; phone: (631) 721 8011. More info: www.etan.org