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Dili, East Timor. The release of a former Indonesian militia leader accused of taking part in a massacre of civilians in East Timor in 1999 was a “political decision,” Justice Minister Lucia Lobato said on Tuesday.

“It is a political decision that must be taken by the government to resolve this issue because it is related to our country’s problems,” she said without giving details.

East Timor’s government had previously declined to confirm Martenus Bere’s release, but Indonesian embassy officials in Dili said the former militia leader had been in their custody since the end of August.

Bere was detained in East Timor on Aug. 8, five years after being indicted for his role in the 1999 Suai church massacre, which left about 200 people dead.

“As we all know, Martenus Bere has been given to Indonesia and we ask Indonesia to process him according to their court and justice system,” Lobato told reporters after a church ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the massacre in Suai city in southern East Timor.

“It’s the decision of the state and everyone has to obey the decision, although we realize that people sometimes might not agree or accept,” she said.

The Indonesian army and paramilitaries went on a rampage after East Timor voted for independence in a UN-backed referendum in 1999, killing around 1,400 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to other parts of Indonesia.

East Timor’s leadership has been criticized for opposing prosecution of those responsible for abuses during Indonesia’s bloody 1975-99 occupation, which killed around 100,000 people.

Lawmakers on Tuesday protested Bere’s release by refusing to approve President Jose Ramos-Horta’s work trips to New York, Denmark and Germany, said opposition Fretilin party spokesman Jose Teixeira.

Fretilin lawmaker Arsenio Bano said the East Timorese demanded justice for abuses during Indonesia’s occupation.

“This country needs a referendum to ask us directly, the people of East Timor, the victims and the people of Suai, what they want with justice,” he said.



Agence France-Presse