Tim Dodd, Jakarta – Indonesia will put on trial 22 military and police officers, government officials and militia members accused of human rights violations in East Timor, the Indonesian Attorney-General, Mr Marzuki Darusman, said yesterday.

Those to be tried before a special human rights court include the two army officers in command of East Timor in the lead-up to the independence referendum last year, and the then police chief in charge of the territory.

These are Major-General Adam Damiri, whose command area based in Bali included East Timor; Brigadier-General Tono Suratman, who was in command in East Timor until just before the ballot; and police chief Brigadier-General Timbul Silean. According to Jakarta-based news service Satunet, Mr Darusman said the trial of the 22 was expected to begin in January.

If General Damiri, General Suratman and General Silean are convicted they will be the first senior army officers to be found guilty by a court for human rights violations. In the past junior officers have been convicted while their seniors have gone free.

The human rights law under which the 22 are to be tried provides for jail terms of up to 25 years for major abuses. The trial will take place under a law passed by the Indonesian Parliament early this month which allows people accused of past human rights abuses to be tried under a human rights code that did not exist when the offences took place.

Mr Darusman's announcement came as a UN Security Council delegation was wrapping up its inspection of the human rights situation in West Timor, where pro-Indonesian militia killed three UN refugee workers in September. After the killings, the UN halted its refugee aid programs in West Timor, where an estimated 120,000 East Timorese are still living in squalid conditions.