José Andrade da Cruz

José Andrade da Cruz (born August 15, 1956 in Bobonaro , Portuguese Timor ), fighting name Buregol (Bure Gol), is a former independence activist and politician from East Timor . He is a member of FRETILIN .

Career

Until 1999 Cruz lived in Bobonaro's capital Maliana with his wife and two children. He was an office worker. During the wave of violence leading up to the independence referendum in East Timor , Cruz was also threatened for campaigning for East Timor's independence from Indonesia and for being a leading local member of the CNRT . On March 22nd, Cruz was arrested by Indonesian soldiers. As they drove through Maliana, the soldiers shouted that Cruz was the leader of FRETILIN in Maliana and that they would kill him and his family. Cruz was hit and kicked. Then they drove him back to his house, which was ransacked. Back at the base, Cruz was interrogated by the local commandant. Under death threats, he called for Cruz to spread false rumors in order to stir up fear in the population. He finally declared it was spread that civilians who had been murdered by Indonesian soldiers a few days earlier had in fact been killed by FALINTIL fighters. A statement from Cruz regarding this matter was recorded, after which he was returned to prison. Two days later, Cruz was taken to a hospital for treatment for his injuries, where he was able to tell a Red Cross agent about the circumstances of his detention. Human rights activists, journalists, students and colleagues visited Cruz and as more and more people became aware of his situation, he was released on April 6th. But soldiers threatened that if he went home he would be killed, so that Cruz sought refuge in Maliana Church . On April 12, Indonesian soldiers and pro-Indonesian militias destroyed 27 houses in Maliana, including Cruz's. All belongings have been stolen. His family fled to a police station. Cruz joined them the next day. It was not until August 1st that Cruz dared to go to the ruins of his house, where he met the Indonesian commander, who threatened him again and urged him to work for the Indonesians. Throughout August, further attempts at intimidation and acts of violence by Indonesians against the residents of Maliana followed. On August 29, Cruz hid in a car that took him to the East Timorese capital, Dili , where he went under the protection of UNAMET , which flew him to Darwin on September 14 . In Australia he asked for asylum.

In the elections for the Constituent Assembly on August 30, 2001 , Cruz won the direct mandate of the Bobonaro district with 60.34% of the vote.

With the independence of East Timor on May 20, 2002 , the assembly became a national parliament and a Cruz deputy. In the new elections in June 2007 , Freitas did not run.

Awards

On May 13, 2008, Cruz was awarded the Ordem Nicolau Lobato .

Publications

• Livru tradisaun aiassa Bunak Bobonaro , Timor Aid 2008.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Refugee Transitions Issue 5: Escaping East Timor , February 2000 , accessed July 24, 2020.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Jornal da República: Decreto do Presidente da República Número 54 / 2008de 13 de May de 2008 , accessed on July 24, 2020.
3. ↑ "Chapter 7.4: Arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment" (PDF; 2.5 MB) from the "Chega!" Report of the CAVR (English)
4. ^ ETAN: List of elected representatives, September 9, 2001 , accessed on April 27, 2020
5. ^ Minutes of the parliamentary session on December 11, 2001.
6. ^ Annemarie Devereux: Timor-Leste's Bill of Rights , Australian National University. 2015 , accessed April 28, 2020.
7. ↑ UNTAET: 2001 CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS - List of elected district representatives September 17, 2001 , accessed on April 26, 2020.
8. ↑ List of MPs in the National Parliament of East Timor ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
9. ^ National Parliament of East Timor: José Andrade da Cruz , accessed on July 24, 2020.
10. ↑ STAE: List of candidates 2007 (PDF; 819 kB)