In 1999, following a UN-sponsored referendum on self-determination, Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor) became a sovereign state, gaining independence from Indonesia. During the period between the announcement of the results and their formal acceptance by the Indonesian parliament, killings and disappearances took place in various parts of the country, particularly in Liquica, Suai and Maliana.
EAAF worked in Timor-Leste between 2002 and 2011, investigating these crimes for the United Nations Serious Crimes Unit. In 2005, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) of Australia launched a project to investigate the Santa Cruz massacre, committed by Indonesian forces in 1991, and invited EAAF to join the initiative, forming the International Forensic Team (IFT). At the same time, training began for the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL in Portuguese), as well as for prosecutors and members of the forensic service at Dili Central Hospital. Since then, the IFT has continued to work on the island on various cases, conducting exhumations and identifications while also training local specialists.
