On November 28, 1975, the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) declared East Timor’s independence from Portugal. Less than a week later, on December 7, 1975, Indonesia invaded East Timor, claiming that it was protecting the country from communism.
The Indonesian military occupation of East Timor was one of the longest-running and most brutal in the world. Indonesian forces killed an estimated 200,000 East Timorese, raped thousands of women, and destroyed nearly 70% of the country’s infrastructure.
In …