[asia-apec 1850] Take Action for E Timor this week, Call Today

[John M. Miller]

http://www.etan.org/action/action2/04alert.htm

East Timor ACTION Network ALERT

Support Justice for East Timor
the time for an International Tribunal is NOW!

Without an international tribunal, decades of crimes against humanity will 
go unpunished  and the brutal, unreformed Indonesian military will continue 
to enjoy impunity.  (see background below).

* Make 3 Calls to Congress TODAY!

* Ask women's studies scholars and women's organizations to sign onto a 
statement supporting justice for the women of East Timor!

When you talk to your Representative's and Senators' offices:

*  urge them to co-sponsor congressional resolutions calling for an 
international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor, 
House Concurrent Resolution 60 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, 
"Condemning the Violence in East Timor and Urging the Establishment of an 
International War Crimes Tribunal for Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity". 
For a list of current co-sponsors, see www.etan.org/legislation.

*  thank members of Congress who have already co-sponsored the resolution 
and ask them to personally let the State Department and National Security 
Council know of their support for an international tribunal for East Timor.

Contact the Washington office of your Representative and Senators and ask 
to speak with the foreign policy staff person. All offices can be reached 
through the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. To find out who 
represents you, visit http://www.congress.gov. Please let ETAN Washington 
Representative Karen Orenstein know the results of your Congressional 
calls, at 202-544-6911 or karen at etan.org.

When you talk to scholars, leaders and organizations focused on women's issues:

*  inform them how women were specifically targeted during the Indonesian 
military occupation of East Timor through sexual assault, forced 
sterilization and forced "marriage" to Indonesian military personnel. East 
Timorese women in Indonesian refugee camps continue to suffer rape at the 
hands of the military and its militias. Many women refugees are forced into 
prostitution to support their families and live under horrible conditions, 
with high rates of domestic violence in the camps.

*  ask them to sign on to a statement calling for an international tribunal 
to ensure these crimes against the women of East Timor are meaningfully 
prosecuted. The statement can be found at 
www.etan.org/news/2002a/02women.htm. Please notify ETAN of any signatures 
(please include name, organization, city and state for identification) at 
diane at etan.org or 608-347-4598.

Thank you for your support! Your efforts do make a difference.

Sample E-mail/ Fax to Congressional offices

Congressional e-mail addresses and fax numbers are available at: 
http://www.congress.gov. For a list of current co-sponsors, see 
www.etan.org/legislation.

Date

Dear Senator /Representative _________,

I am very concerned that decades of crimes against humanity and war crimes 
committed against the East Timorese people will go unpunished if Congress 
does not act now.  East Timor's women and men suffered under a brutal 
Indonesian military occupation that ended with the military and its militia 
proxies carrying out a devastating scorched-earth campaign in retaliation 
for East Timor's overwhelming vote for independence in 1999.

East Timor will become fully independent on May 20. However, no Indonesian 
military or police have been brought to trial for a quarter century of 
horrific human rights abuses. The recently-established Indonesian ad hoc 
Human Rights Court for East Timor is fatally flawed, and today 
approximately one-tenth of the East Timorese population remains held in 
militia- and military-controlled Indonesian refugee camps.

I am writing to urge you to uphold international human rights standards and 
support justice for East Timor by:

*  Co-sponsoring (House Concurrent Resolution 60 or Senate Concurrent 
Resolution 9), which urges the administration to work actively to establish 
an international tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in East 
Timor, as called for by United Nations commissions, East Timorese Nobel 
Laureate Bishop Carlos Belo, and many others in East Timor and internationally.

*  For any members of Congress who have already co-sponsored the 
resolution: Communicating to the State Department and National Security 
Council (the Rep's/Sen's) support for an international tribunal for East 
Timor, as shown by (her/his) co-sponsorship of (H.Con.Res.60 or Sen.Con.Res.9).

I thank you for your attention to these important issues, [thank Sen/Rep 
______ if they have already co-sponsored H.Con.Res.60 or S.Con.Res.9] and 
would appreciate your informing me of the actions (Rep/Sen) _________ takes 
on these matters.

Sincerely,

Your name, address, city, state, zip and contact information

Background

A UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION CALLED FOR AN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR EAST 
TIMOR IN JANUARY 2000. The commission called such a move "fundamental for 
the future social and political stability of East Timor" and stated 
"ultimately the Indonesian Army was responsible for the intimidation, 
terror, killings and other acts of violence" there. Two years later, East 
Timor has yet to see justice.

The Indonesian government promised to set up its own ad hoc Human Rights 
Court for East Timor. But the faults of this court are numerous: the 
court's mandate is limited to just two months and three of 13 districts in 
East Timor; the judges named to the court include people with no court 
experience and with close ties to the Indonesian military; the politically 
powerful military will try to block attempts to hold its top brass 
accountable; traumatized East Timorese will be reluctant to testify in 
Indonesian courts; and the court will not hear cases of the widespread, 
systematic use of violence against women, including mass rape and forced 
sterilization.

The U.S.  which provided Indonesia with substantial military and political 
support during its occupation of East Timor  must take a leadership role in 
calling for an international tribunal. And the time for a tribunal is NOW.

The Indonesian military and its militia proxies razed East Timor following 
the August 1999 referendum for independence, murdering thousands, raping 
hundreds of women and girls, forcing hundreds of thousands into Indonesian 
West Timor and destroying 75% of the country's infrastructure. In January 
2000 the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor 
and the Indonesian government's own human rights commission both found the 
Indonesian military responsible for these crimes against humanity. The UN 
commission called for the establishment of an international tribunal. The 
Indonesian government balked at the possibility of international trials and 
promised to establish its own ad hoc Human Rights Court for East Timor. 
Shortly after taking power, current Indonesian president Megawati 
Sukarnoputri severely limited the mandate of the court to only two months 
in 1999 and just three of 13 districts in East Timor. These limitations, 
along with other serious problems  few trials for high-ranking military and 
government figures, the continued political power of the Indonesian 
military, widespread corruption in the Indonesian judicial system, no cases 
regarding the widespread, systematic use of violence against women  make 
the Indonesian court unacceptable. This leaves an international tribunal as 
the only way to achieve real justice for East Timor, since Indonesian 
generals and political leaders and East Timorese militia leaders are in 
Indonesia, inaccessible to East Timorese courts, and Indonesia has stated 
it will not extradite them for prosecution.

Today, no Indonesian military or police have been held responsible by the 
Indonesian government for the atrocities committed in East Timor in 1999, 
and some 80,000 East Timorese remain trapped in militia-and 
military-controlled Indonesian refugee camps. The near-total impunity 
enjoyed by the military and militia leaders in Indonesia is a major factor 
perpetuating the refugee crisis. Reports from Jesuit Refugee Services note 
the "generally very poor" condition of the refugees' health and "continued 
intimidation in the camps". An international tribunal for East Timor must 
be established NOW, to provide justice for the women and men of East Timor, 
to support nation-building in East Timor and rule of law in Indonesia where 
systematic abuses continue, and to facilitate the return of the one-tenth 
of the East Timorese population still under Indonesian occupation in 
squalid refugee camps.

East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in December 1975 with U.S. weapons and 
political support. More than 200,000 East Timorese were killed. On August 
30, 1999, the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence in a 
UN-organized referendum. After a period of UN administration, East Timor 
will become the first new nation of the 21st century on May 20.




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John M. Miller         Internet: john at etan.org

Media & Outreach Coordinator
East Timor Action Network: 10 Years for Self-Determination & Justice

48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097
Mobile phone: (917)690-4391
Web site: http://www.etan.org

Support ETAN, make a secure financial contribution: 
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Send a blank e-mail message to info at etan.org to find out
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