§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Nations transitional administration in East Timor will have jurisdiction over crimes committed within the territory during the Indonesian occupation; and whether the international commission of inquiry called for by the Commission of Human Rights at its special session on 27 September will be given the power and resources to safeguard forensic evidence to collect statements from witnesses and to establish a permanent office in Dili to keep this evidence and these statements in safe custody until they are required for the purpose of criminal proceedings. [HL4151]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe details of the UN transitional authority and the international commission of inquiry are still being worked out. The Secretary-General has said that one of the authority's objectives should be to create non-discriminatory and impartial institutions to ensure the establishment and maintenance of the rule of law and to promote and protect human rights. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in preparing for the inquiry, has told us that the preservation of evidence is at the top of its agenda.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they seek a ruling from the Security Council that the Fourth Geneva Convention applied in East Timor throughout the period of Indonesian occupation. [HL4152]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThere is no procedure for seeking a ruling from the Security Council on the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention in East Timor.