Justice for the Victims
April 2003
A Legal Opinion on the Indonesian human rights trials concerning the crimes committed in East Timor in 1999
Bernd Häusler
Legal Opinion
Regarding the QuestionAre the international standards met by the criminal proceedings regarding the events in East Timor in 1999, which were instituted before the Human Rights Court in Jakarta in March 2002 or are the same only “mock trials”, in order to avoid an ad hoc tribunal as threatened by the international community?
English translation of: Gerechtigkeit für die Opfer. Eine juristische Untersuchung der indonesischen Menschenrechtsverfahren zu den Verbrechen auf Osttimor im Jahr 1999, Schriftenreihe Gerechtigkeit und Frieden (Series Justice and Peace) – No. 98, ed. by German Commission Justitia et Pax, Bonn, April 2003 Responsible for the edition of the English version: Watch Indonesia! Berlin, March 2004
About the author: Bernd Häusler (*1945), Attorney at Law and Notary Public, is since 1991 on the board of directors of the Berlin Bar Association and has been their authorized representative for human rights since 1997.The trial observation on which this legal opinion is based, was initiated and commissioned by Watch Indonesia! in cooperation with the German Commission Justitia et Pax, Misereor, missio Aachen and the Human Rights Desk of Diakonia, the Social Services Agency of the Protestant Church in Germany.
Alex Flor accompanied the author during the trial observation and provided substantial support especially with regard to background information, translation and facilitating contacts with representatives of organizations in Indonesia. Monika Schlicher coordinated the project. Both are furthermore responsible for the final edition of the German version of the legal opinion. Responsible for the final editing of the English translation was Petra Stockmann.
read the complete report (PDF, 1.3 MB)
