Four officials cleared of Timor violence

At least 22 people died in an attack in Liquica

A human rights court in Indonesia has acquitted two former military officials, a police chief and a government head on charges of crimes against humanity during East Timor's bloody independence vote in 1999.

Out of 18 defendants, this takes to 10 the number of people cleared by the court - most of them Indonesian officers.

Only two have been found guilty - both ethnic Timorese. They include the notorious pro-Jakarta militia leader Eurico Guterres who was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Wednesday.

The Jakarta court was set up following international pressure to bring those behind the 1999 violence to account, but human rights groups have dismissed it as a sham.

'Mock trials'

Three of the men cleared on Friday had been accused of failing to prevent pro-Jakarta militias from attacking a church in the town of Liquica in April 1999, where at least 22 people were killed.

Gang leader Guterres was sentenced to 10 years in prison

They are army Lieutenant Colonel Asep Kuswani, police Lieutenant Colonel Adios Salova and mayor Leonita Martins.

The fourth man, Endar Priyanto, who was the Indonesian army chief in East Timor's capital, Dili, was accused of failing to prevent the killing of 12 civilians at the house of a prominent independence leader.

At least 1,000 people were killed before, during and after East Timor's overwhelming vote, in August 1999, to break away from 24 years of Indonesian rule.

"These are mock trials," said Mohammad Asrun, from Indonesian monitoring group Judicial Watch. "This is a result of pressure from the military.

"The East Timorese are being made scapegoats for them."

Militiaman convicted

Rights experts have noted that a key flaw of Jakarta's human rights court is its failure to try top officers, including the presiding commander at the time of the violence, General Wiranto.

Critics say Timorese subordinates are being punished while their Indonesian commanders go free.

In addition to Guterres, the only other guilty verdict so far was handed down to former provincial governor Abilio Soares. He was sentenced to three years in jail.

Guterres was convicted of failing to stop his militiamen attacking the home of prominent independence activist Manuel Carrascalao - the attack for which three of Friday's defendants were cleared.

Mr Carrascalao's 16-year-old son was among those killed.

Under Indonesian law, Guterres can avoid starting his 10-year prison sentence while he appeals against the guilty verdict.

Two generals are among those still awaiting judgment from the human rights court.