Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 07/2011

Security Sector Reform Monitor: Timor-Leste

January 2011

Centre for International Governance Innovation

Abstract

Political intervention and a lack of accountability for serious crimes are two significant challenges facing the justice system in Timor-Leste. President Ramos-Horta has emphasized political reconciliation over prosecutorial justice, granting pardons in high-profile cases, even those involving crimes against humanity. The fourth edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor: Timor-Leste discusses the negative impact these presidential pardons have had on the development of the justice system, the broader security sector and the country’s future stability.