The establishment and strengthening of a national police service in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste are among the tasks with which the United Nations (UN) Security Council mandated first the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) (October 1999 – May 2002) and its successor, the UN Mission of Support for East Timor (UNMISET) (May 2002 – May 2004). Despite significant progress, the National Police of Timor-Leste (Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste, PNTL) remains a fragile and underdeveloped institution which is not yet adequately prepared, equipped, or sufficiently well supported, for the task of maintaining law and order in a manner which is consistent with international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International urges the UN to take note of the issues raised in the report and hopes that they will be useful to the UN in reviewing its performance in Timor-Leste and in planning for future peacekeeping operations, particularly in the area of capacity building for law enforcement institutions.
