Deteriorating Human Rights in East Timor

Abuses in East Timor, involving possible extrajudicial executions, torture, disappearances, unlawful arrests and detentions and denials of freedom of association, assembly and expression, continue unabated. The perpetrators are the police and army, as well as a group operating in civilian dress, locally known as “ninjas,” who operate as masked gangs reportedly organized by the military. While not questioning the obligation of Indonesian officials to take appropriate measures to respond to acts of violence that occur in East Timor, we find that some of the actions of security forces have gone well beyond the bounds of international human rights and humanitarian law.

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