Everything about Liqui Church Massacre totally explained
The
Liquiçá Church Massacre was an atrocity that occurred in the war torn country of
East Timor, in April,
1999.
Events and Aftermath
During the event, up to some 200 East Timorese people were murdered at the local Catholic church. The event left many witnesses, including the local Catholic Priest,
Raphael dos Santos. The total number of victims at the hands of
pro-Indonesia militias (primarily the
Besi Merah Putih) and Indonesian soldiers and police in Liquica has never been fully determined, ranging from a low of 61 claimed by
Indonesia, to more than 200 by local sources.
The crime was investigated by an elite team of
International Police which became known as the
UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment, serving under the
United Nations and representing the countries of the
United States,
Great Britain, and the
Philippines, as well as
Australian and
New Zealand Military Police Crime Scene Specialists. The unit was initially commanded by police officer Steve Minhinett, of Great Britain. It was later commanded by American police officer
Karl Clark, and relied heavily on American intelligence officer Allen Williams. This investigation led to a large number of
exhumations of the dead, witness statements taken, and ultimately charges of assassination, torture, forced deportation and murder being filed against 21 Indonesian Officers, and
pro-Indonesian East Timorese Militia.
The Liquiçá Church massacre and the attack at
Manuel Carrascalão's house were two of the ten priority investigations of the
Serious Crimes Unit. This case was the first of several indictments arising from these investigations to reach trial.
The trial was the first to be heard by the
Second Special Panel, consisting of Judge
Benfeito Mosso Ramos (Cape Verde) presiding, Judge
Antero Luís (Portugal) and Judge
António Helder (East Timor). The hearing was conducted in five languages: Portuguese, English, Indonesian,
Tetum and
Tokodede, the local language of the
Liquiçá area. The court heard detailed
testimony from the accused about involvement in the
Besi Merah Putih militia, including a
militia ceremony in which they were allegedly forced to drink a cocktail of alcohol, animal blood and drugs before killing, as a part of the attack on the Liquiçá Church. Testimony implicated the direct participation in the attacks by Indonesian soldiers, who were allegedly dressed in civilian clothes to look like militia members.
Leoneto Martins,
Tomé Diogo,
Eurico Guterres and
João Tavares were the primary suspects and leading figures during the massacre, all were East Timorese.
A prominent business associate of the Suharto family and "spokesman for the Indonesian Loyalist faction", Gil Alves, confirmed to the media that "the Red and White militia [BesiMerah Putih] had conducted the attack. But he said the attack started after shots were fired from inside the church grounds. He claimed that the Red and White had surrounded the priest's home to disarm members of the CRNT (anti-Indonesian forces loyal to Mr Xanana), who had stored weapons there. He said the police were present to prevent violence and fired tear gas in self-defence. He denied that the militia had been armed by the Indonesian military, as Mr Xanana has claimed." (Tim Dodd 'Massacre has Timor living on the edge' Australian Financial Review, April 9 1999). However in 2007 Xanana Gusmao, as Prime Minister, appointed Gil Alves his Minister for Commerce and Tourism.
Further Information
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