Dili, East Timor
Eurico Guterres, a pro-Indonesian militia leader who led a bloody rampage against democratic activists in East Timor, was sentenced this week to 10 years in prison. In August 1999, when the East Timorese voted to break away from Indonesia, the military and their militia allies killed nearly 1,000 civilians. Television cameras caught Guterres storming the home of a pro-independence activist. Twelve civilians were killed in that attack. Guterres will serve no time until all appeals are exhausted, which could take years. Till then, he remains defiant. “I never have regrets about what I did,” he said. “What I did was for Indonesia.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floodsCartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate changeIn the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
