A senior official from the United Nations
Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) said today in New York
that the recent human rights agreement reached between the UN mission and
Indonesia was an "invaluable support" to the territory's emerging
judiciary.
Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, the Deputy Legal
Advisor to UNTAET, said one of the greatest challenges faced by the new
judiciary was the prosecution of violations of humanitarian or human rights
law, particularly crimes against humanity. The Memorandum of Understanding,
which stipulates mutual assistance in investigating human rights violations,
will facilitate ongoing investigations by Indonesia of soldiers or militias
who were involved in the post-referendum violence of September 1999.
"Their prosecution is very important and will have an impact on both the reconciliation process in East Timor and on the likelihood of people returning from West Timor to East Timor," he said.
According to the legal advisor, the process of establishing a judiciary in East Timor is progressing well, with 23 East Timorese prosecutors and judges now serving at the district court level -- the first ever locals to fill these roles in the territory. In addition to the first seven Timorese officials appointed by UNTAET on 7 January, new appointments were expected within the next two months, he said.
"However, none of these people have any prosecutorial or judicial experience, or any experience in the administration of justice, so the provision of training and education is of great importance," Mr. Strohmeyer said. To prepare the new staff, UNTAET established a mentoring programme in which experienced judges and prosecutors from civil law countries are invited to advise the judicial officers in the performance of their duties and the management of offices and courtrooms.