NGO warns that justice was not done 35 years after Santa Cruz massacre

A timorese non-governmental organization (ONG) La’o Hamutuk said today that, 35 years after the massacre of the cemetery of Santa Cruz, the truth remains incomplete and justice remains unfulfilled.

“ There is still no definitive number of dead people. Estimates vary between tens and hundreds of victims: while the Indonesian authorities acknowledged 19 deaths, other investigations pointed to more than 50, between 150 and 270, or up to 400 people,” La’o Hamutuk said.

The Timorese NGO recalls that the “destiny and whereabouts of many missing persons remain unclear” and that the legal proceedings in Indonesia in 1992 did not guarantee an adequate investigation “nor the criminal liability proportional to the seriousness of the massacre”.

The massacre in Santa Cruz, which today marks the 35th anniversary, was one of the most serious in East Timor, when Indonesian troops stopped, beaten and signed young Timorese people, who manifested themselves in the capital after Sebastian Gomes was killed by Indonesian police on October 28, 1991.

“La’o Hamutuk reaffirms that the rights to truth, justice and reparation constitute fundamental rights, recognised by international law”, it can be read in the press release, which stresses that the repair of victims is not limited to financial compensation, but to the clearance of the truth.

In the statement, the NGO stresses that Indonesia has the “primary responsibility to provide compensation for the damage caused by the violations committed by its security forces in East Timor”.

“The Government of Timor-Leste should ensure health services, psychosocial support, legal assistance and protection for victims and affected families, without replacing the responsibility of the Indonesian State,” he says.

La’o Hamutuk asks Indonesia for an “independent and credible investigation” and “just judicial proceedings” and the Timorese and Indonesian authorities to promote access to the truth, the identification of victims and repair so that the “survivors and affected families are at the heart of the process”.

“Reconciliation cannot be built on impunity,” says the NGO, stressing that good relations between the two countries should not “hidden the truth, minimize suffering or avoid responsibilities.”.

“The truth must be found out. Justice must be brought about. Victims' rights must be respected. Impunity must end,” adds the NGO.