Genocide in East Timor

Abstract

East Timor, the newest independent nation of the world, and the 191st member of the United Nation, was invaded by the Indonesian armed forces in 1999. The Indonesian army massacred a majority of the population. Subsequently, the United Nations established an interim government called United Nations Temporary Administration for East Timor (UNTAET), and internationally renowned forensic pathologists, including the author, were invited to inquire into the causes of genocide. Several main medico-legal objectives for the postmortem examinations were identified. Among them were the identification of the dead body, causes of death, documentation of pathological changes and old injuries present, and the detection, documentation and preservation (as appropriate) of items of material evidence associated with the bodies. The results of these postmortem examinations are presented in this paper