"Serious crime" files handed over to UN mission in East Timor for trial
26 June -- Prosecutors from East Timor's three main districts today transferred their criminal files concerning investigations into "serious crimes" to the United Nations operation in that country, according to a statement released in the capital Dili.
In the statement, the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) said that the files were handed over by the District Prosecutors for Dili, Baucau and the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi in West Timor, and covered cases of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, as well as murder, sexual offences and torture committed between 1 January and 25 October 1999.
The cases will be prosecuted and tried by a special panel - composed of both East Timorese and international judges - within the Dili District Court, to ensure the degree of specialization and expertise required, the statement said.
"The local prosecutors and the Civilian Police have already carried out extensive work and many of the cases are ripe for indictment," the statement said. "Once the panel is established, indictments can be expected very soon."
