East Timor court jails two ex-militia bosses<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Dili<\/p>\n
An East Timor court on Wednesday jailed two former militia
\nleaders for crimes against humanity during the territory's bloody
\nbreakaway from Indonesia in 1999.<\/p>\n
The Special Panel for Serious Crimes jailed Benjamin Sarmento
\nfor 12 years and Romeriro Tilman for eight, the United Nations-
\nfunded Serious Crimes Unit said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The two former leaders of the pro-Indonesia Tim Sasurat Ablai
\nmilitia were arrested along with several other former militiamen
\nwho had infiltrated East Timor from Indonesian West Timor in
\nSeptember 2000.<\/p>\n
Sarmento was convicted on five counts of crimes against
\nhumanity. He had admitted killing five independence supporters in
\nfour separate incidents in Same district in 1999.<\/p>\n
Tilman, convicted of two counts of crime against humanity, had
\npleaded guilty to ordering the killing of two independence
\nsupporters in the same area.<\/p>\n
The two also admitted forced transportation of civilians from
\nvillages in Same to West Timor after East Timor voted
\noverwhelmingly in August 1999 to break from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The militias, organiszd by the Indonesian military, waged a
\nsavage intimidation campaign before the independence vote and a
\nrevenge campaign afterwards, during which tens of thousands were
\nforced over the border into West Timor.<\/p>\n
An estimated 1,000 people were murdered in 1999. The territory
\nfinally gained independence in May 2002 after a period of UN
\nstewardship.<\/p>\n
The Special Panels for Serious Crimes is made up of two
\ninternational judges and one East Timorese. Since 2001, when its
\nhearings began, 34 people have been convicted.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors from the Serious Crimes Unit have filed 65
\nindictments with the special panel charging a total of 301 people
\nincluding top-ranking Indonesian military officers.<\/p>\n
Of those indicted 221 remain at large in Indonesia, which
\nrefuses to hand anyone over for trial.<\/p>\n
Indonesia set up its own human rights court to try offenders
\nover the 1999 violence but rights groups describe it as a sham.
\nIt has acquitted 11 security force members and one civilian. Five
\npeople including two army officers have been ordered jailed but
\nremain free pending appeals.<\/p>",
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