"Members of an expert panel that advised on prosecutions and a National Human Rights Commission team that investigated the crimes in East Timor say the attorney-general's office ignored arguments to put senior generals on trial, including former armed forces commander General Wiranto, because of political expediency.
They warn that the courts will only do the bare minimum to satisfy the international community that justice is being served.
Many local activists and officials of the UN and foreign governments regard the first two defendants, Brigadier-General Silaen and Mr Soares, as no more than bit players and possible scapegoats for the real masterminds in savaging East Timor.
The UN political affairs chief in East Timor, Colin Stewart, says: "He (Silaen) may have been involved in some things, but he definitely is not a big fish."
Echoing the views of many Western diplomats who were in East Timor for the UN-supervised referendum in 1999, Mr Stewart said he was sorry for the police chief because he was "personally aware of steps Timbul Silaen took to protect people"."
