José Abílio Osório Soares

José Osório Soares Abílio ( born June 2, 1947 in Vila de Ourique / Portuguese Timor, † 17 June, 2007 Kupang / Indonesia ) was an East Timorese politician and the last governor Indonesian East Timor ( Timor Timur time ) during the occupation. With his wife, Maria Angela Correia de Lemos Osório Soares together he had four children.

Life

Soares was originally a Portuguese colonial officer, but was dismissed on charges of rape from the service. In Dili, he was then given a small official post, but was released again for fraud after three years.

After the Carnation Revolution in Portugal political parties were registered in East Timor. Among them was the Associação Popular Democrática Timorense ( Timorese Popular Democratic Association APODETI ), a funded Jakarta Tarnvereinigung that sought to connect to Indonesia as an autonomous province. Soares was its secretary general and chief strategist. Previously, he was briefly a member of the ASDT. The APODETI only found support in some tribal leaders ( Liurai ) in the border region, some of whom had collaborated during the Second World War with the Japanese. The small Muslim minority supported the APODETI.

During the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia (1975-1999) was Soares first Mayor of Dili, later district administrator ( Bupati ) of his home Manatuto and 18 September 1992 to 1999, the last of Indonesia sent Governor Timor Timur, as the country as Indonesia's was called. Immediately after taking office, he outraged the world public with his statement, when recently taken place Santa Cruz massacre " had much more must die." In May 1994, he proposed to solve the Osttimorkonflikts before an autonomy of East Timor within Indonesia, which was rejected by the Indonesian President Suharto as unconstitutional. Soares was then sent to Jakarta for four months to a military course, which is to be regarded as a disciplinary measure.

During the second term of 1997 Soares from his entanglements was so massive in cases of corruption in connection with the family-owned group of companies Anak Liambau Group that even the Lieutenant Governor Suryo Prabowo resigned in protest in 1998. After the abdication of Suharto in May 1998, there was serious demonstrations in East Timor due to corruption allegations against Soares. At the same time, public pressure demanded a referendum on independence increased.

Soares was a major player in the construction of the militias that after the referendum on the independence of East Timor from August 30, 1999 fear and terror spread throughout the country. He was directly responsible for some instances, as in the massacre in the church of Liquiça of April 6, 1999, in the house of independence leader Manuel Carrascalão of 17 April 1999 at the residence of Bishop Belo on 6 September 1999 and in a church in Suai on 6 September 1999. in connection with these cases, he was accused of having done nothing to prevent these crimes.

With the intervention ( INTERFET ) and assumption of power by the United Nations (UNTAET ), which led East Timor to independence later, Soares was deposed.

Soares was convicted in 2003 by the Human Rights Court in Jakarta / Indonesia for a three- year sentence for crimes against humanity. The representative of the prosecution had demanded ten and a half years. The Supreme Court in Jakarta confirmed the guilty verdict on 12 April 2004. After only four months in prison, a challenge the judgment was successful and Soares was released, which was heavily criticized by human rights organizations. Set aside the judgment was justified by the fact that East Timor at that time was under military administration and the civil governor therefore can not be held responsible for the crimes. Soares then lived in Kupang in West Timor.

2005 Soares ill with colon cancer. In mid-June 2007, he fell into a coma and died on 17 June 2007 at WZ Johannes Hospital in Kupang. On June 15, Soares was still visited by former General Wiranto, the commander of the Indonesian army during the violence of 1999. Soares was buried with a " hero's funeral " on the Dharmaloka heroes' cemetery.