25 January 2001 -- An East Timor court today sentenced a former militia member to12 years imprisonment, marking the first successful prosecution for the violence that surrounded the territory's popular referendum in September 1999.
Joćo Fernandes - who was a member of the Dadurus Merah Putih (Red White Tornado) militia group - pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing village chief Domingos Gonsalves Pereira in Bobonaro district on 8 September 1999. The case was decided by the Dili District Court's Special Panel for Serious Crimes.
Although the defendant faced 20 years in jail under Indonesian penal code, he agreed to cooperate in future crime investigations, which lead the prosecution to recommend a minimum of ten years in jail, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) said.
Preliminary hearings into three additional cases took place today before the Serious Crimes Panel, which decided that the trial of a former member of the Laksaur militia - accused of murder in Suai district on 25 and 26 September - would begin on 20 February. The court also heard the cases of two former members of the Ablai militia group, accused of murder in Manufahi district in August and September 1999. Their hearings will resume on 30 January, UNTAET said.
In other news, Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor Transitional Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs, described today his recent first visit to Indonesia as a Cabinet member as "very fruitful," noting that he had had excellent meetings with all his interlocutors, which included President Abdurrahman Wahid and Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab.
At a press conference today, the East Timorese leader said he appreciated the Indonesian Government's efforts over the past few months and cited an improved security situation in West Timor and an absence of militia incursions of late.
Mr. Ramos-Horta will be in New York tomorrow with UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira de Mello to brief the Security Council on the current situation in East Timor.
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