Vicente da Conceição

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Vicente da Conceição , also known as Colonel or Commander Railos, is a former freedom fighter from East Timor accused of forming a death squad during the 2006 riots .

Through his fight in the FALINTIL against the Indonesians , who occupied East Timor between 1975 and 1999, he became a folk hero. The country came under UN administration in 1999 and was given independence in 2002. Railos became a non-commissioned officer in the newly established Defense Forces of East Timor and worked in the training camp in Metinaro , but was released from service in December 2003.

Railo's role during the 2006 riots

In 2006, East Timorese soldiers rebelled against the alleged discrimination against soldiers from the western part of the country . This led to protests against the government led by FRETILIN , which eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri .

The then Interior Minister Rogério Lobato is said to have illegally set up and armed a 31-man FRETILIN militia in the course of the unrest in order to take action against the mutinous soldiers and political opponents. Railos is said to have been the leader of this militia. Railos later incriminated Lobato and Alkatiri in an interview with Australian television broadcaster ABC about the incidents.

Railos explained that he and his men had been ordered by Lobato with the knowledge of Alkatiri to kill all rebel soldiers. After losing five men in fighting in Dili on May 24th and 25th, they realized that arming civilians would lead to bloodshed and death on both sides. A total of nine people were killed in this battle. The original leader of the rebels, Lieutenant Gastão Salsinha, reiterated Colonel Railo's allegations. Salsinha said Lobato distributed 200 assault rifles to civilians that were stolen from police stocks. Alkatiri vigorously denied that the government had armed civilians. Foreign Minister José Ramos-Horta also called these allegations "difficult to believe".

Prime Minister Alkatiri eventually had to resign under pressure from the demonstrations and President Xanana Gusmão . His successor was the non-party Ramos-Horta. On March 7, 2007, Lobato was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison along with three co-defendants for illegally arming civilians.

During the presidential elections in early 2007 , FRETILIN accused Railos of campaigning for Ramos-Horta in the west of Liquiçá . Ramos-Horta ultimately won the election as the new president. At the end of September 2007, FRETILIN raised allegations that the then President and current Prime Minister Gusmão had known about the Railos militia and presented a pass signed by Gusmãos and Police Chief Paulo Martins as evidence .

Railos was arrested on October 3, 2007 at his home near Liquiçá. Likewise five other members of the militia. The charge is murder. In August 2008 Railos was temporarily allowed to travel to Indonesia for medical treatment and then returned to East Timor. On October 9, 2009, Railos was sentenced to 32 months in prison for illicit gun possession, assault and other offenses. His deputy commander Leandro Lobato received 15 months.

Next life

In 2012, Railos appeared as an election campaign assistant to the previous army chief Taur Matan Ruak for the presidential elections .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Asia-Pacific-Action, Resolving Timor-Leste's crisis ( Memento from July 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ ABC, Liz Jackson, June 8, 2006, Claims E Timor's PM recruited secret security force
  3. ^ ABC, September 6, 2006, Claim troops loyal to E Timor PM killed 60 civilians
  4. ^ ABC, Mark Bowling, June 9, 2006, Claim troops loyal to E Timor PM killed 60 civilians
  5. ^ Sydney Morning Herald, May 5, 2007, Navigating the difficult high road
  6. ↑ The Age, October 4, 2007, Timor guerilla held for assembling 'death squad'
  7. ↑ Reuters, October 3, 2007, East Timor arrests alleged hit squad leader ( memento of the original from September 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / today.reuters.com
  8. ^ East Times: East Timor court jails alleged hit-squad chief over 2006 violence , October 9, 2009 , accessed December 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ Sydnes Morning Herald: Australian acquitted of plot to kill wants Timor's top job , June 10, 2011
personal data
SURNAME Conceição, Vicente da
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Colonel Railos; Commander Railos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION East Timorese freedom fighter, alleged leader of a death squad
DATE OF BIRTH before 1975