Law and justice issues in East Timor command attention every day.
Just four years after the restoration of independence, East Timor was rocked by a security forces rebellion in 2006 and continuing civil unrest that has required the mobilisation of an International Stabilisation Force lead by the Australian military to restore order. Armed Forces rebel leader, Major Alfredo Reinado who is wanted on 8 counts of murder, continues to defy justice and the Government is unable to resolve this lingering legal problem. In addition, the government has failed to address the grievances of "The Petitioners" - a group of dissident soldiers from the East Timor military - who mutinied in the wake of claims of regional discrimination with the defence force operations and promotions system in 2006. Thousands of criminal cases arising from the disintegration of the rule of law during this crisis period are pending in the courts. Language barriers and a foreign judiciary who are unable to read the applicable law inhibit the effective functioning of the courts.
Sporadic violence disturbs the civil peace in the capital on a daily basis and at nights the streets are a play ground for criminal gangs. Persistent demands for an international tribunal to prosecute human rights violations in the territory during the illegal Indonesian occupation and its devastating and destructive withdrawal in 1999 following the plebiscite on independence on 30 August that year, reflect a culture of impunity for violations of the law.
Respect for the rule of law is lacking and the social effects of this are debilitating for this new State struggling to establish its national identity and to entrench democracy.
East Timor Legal Information Site has launched a new service providing the latest legal news stories from East Timor via RSS feed. Sourced from United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor daily media reviews, United Nations Police in East Timor security briefings and leading global news providers, East Timor Legal News feed is the internet's leading source of legal news from Asia's newest country.
Through searching, monitoring and reporting news on the latest legal developments in East Timor, East Timor Legal News records the daily legal history of the country as it unfolds. The various sources of legal news are aggregated into a user-friendly service that can be syndicated through the RSS facility.
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