Comunicado - PM

GABINETE DO PRIMEIRO-MINISTRO

Dili, 8 de Fevereiro de 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

In a show of personal respect for the independence and integrity of Justice, Prime-Minister Dr. José Ramos-Horta appeared as a witness in the
trial of former minister of Interior, Mr. Rogério Lobato.

Dr Ramos-Horta told the truth and nothing but the truth about the facts of his knowledge, without withholding any information as to favour or harm anyone’s interest.

Therefore, it is deplorable the way some media outlets distorted the essence of the Prime Minister’s testimony in court.

He told the court that arming civilians is always politically incorrect, whatever its motive might be. Dr Ramos-Horta wouldn’t be drawn into the constitutionality or the legality of those actions for he considers the judgment upon those aspects are of the competence of the court itself.

In his testimony, the Prime Minister had at all times in mind consideration for the truth and accuracy, recalling that the acts took place in the context of the crisis situation on 28 April 2006, which intensified in the following days and weeks, after the demonstration of the so called “petitioners”, simultaneous actions of hooliganism and destruction, and the inoperativeness of the National Police of Timor-Leste.

The Prime Minister did not say that arming civilians might be constitutionally or legally validated, under any circumstances, and on the contrary, in his evidence he told the court that no justification should validate the arming of civilians.
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