Security Sector Reform Monitor: Timor-Leste

No. 4

January 12, 2011

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.

Part of Series

Security Sector Reform Monitor

The Security Sector Reform Monitor is a quarterly publication that tracks developments and trends in the ongoing security sector reform (SSR) processes of five countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, East Timor, Haiti and South Sudan. Every quarter, there will be separate editions for each case study country. Adopting a holistic definition of the security sector, the Monitor will cover a wide range of actors, topics and themes, from reforms in the rule of law institutions and armed forces to demilitarization activities and the role of non-statutory security and justice actors.