The United Nations has charged a former Indonesian army chief, six military officers and a civilian over violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 vote for independence.
"The accused have all been charged with crimes against humanity for murder, deportation and persecution in that these crimes were all undertaken as part of a widespread or systematic attack against East Timor civilians," the serious crimes unit of the UN Mission of Support stated yesterday.
Former armed forces chief General Wiranto has denied any wrongdoing in East Timor. A top political party has mentioned him as a possible presidential candidate in 2004.
In addition to Gen Wiranto, who was armed forces chief at the time of the independence vote, the indictment named six other Indonesian military officers and the former Indonesian governor of East Timor, Abilio Soares.
An Indonesian court last year found former East Timor governor Soares guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to three years in jail. He is appealing the verdict.
The United Nations estimates more than 1,000 people were killed in the 1999 violence, most of them independence supporters. Much of the killing was done by pro-Jakarta militia groups the UN indictment says acted with military support.
The United Nations ran East Timor after the August 1999 vote until the territory was declared formally independent in May last year but it still has a mission there.
Several others on the UN indictment list have been named in human rights cases under way in Indonesia. Human rights groups have said Gen Wiranto, as overall military commander, bore ultimate responsibility for the violence in East Timor.