Dili, September 19, 2025 (Média Democracia) – Students of the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL), through the Faculty of Law, held a press conference to strongly condemn the violent actions carried out by members of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) and the Public Order Battalion (BOP), who entered the UNTL campus, specifically the Faculty of Law classrooms and carried out actions against students on 16 September 2025.
Spokesperson for UNTL Law Faculty students, Flora da Luz, stated at the press conference that the students wanted to publicly declare their position regarding this serious incident, which involved PNTL and BOP members inside the central campus of UNTL.
“Police officers, together with members of BOP, entered the UNTL campus grounds, went into classrooms, and took actions against students, such as shouting, beating, kicking, and forcibly dragging students out of the classroom. This illegal conduct is absolutely a violation of human rights and against academic freedom, because we were not there for a demonstration, we were there to sit for our exams,” said spokesperson Flora da Luz.
She emphasized that academic freedom and the right to be treated with dignity are fundamental human and constitutional rights. This incident created fear, disruption, and grave concern for the academic freedom and autonomy of students, professors, and the entire academic community.
Furthermore, university campuses enjoy legal recognition and protection. International law safeguards campuses as spaces for academic freedom and intellectual integrity. Students, professors, and academic staff must remain free from police or military interference.
The spokesperson added that they must be free and autonomous to ensure their safety, access to education, research, and expression of opinion, peaceful assembly, and participation in critical dialogue that contributes to the public interest. International human rights law and the Constitution of Timor-Leste prohibit armed police presence in classrooms and ban illegal acts such as intimidation, threats, or detention of students, professors, and academic staff.
Key legal principles cited include:
- Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR): Guarantees the right to education and protects academic freedom.
- UNESCO 1997 Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (Article 26.3): Prohibits interference by state authorities, including police or military, within academic institutions.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Recognizes and protects freedom of opinion and expression, free from fear, as a core human right.
Relevant provisions from the ICCPR include:
- Article 7: Absolute prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
- Article 9: Protection against unlawful arrest or detention.
- Article 10: Humane treatment of individuals deprived of liberty.
- Article 2: Obligation of states to provide effective remedies for rights violations.
The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL) also provides clear safeguards against abuses, particularly Article 30 (Right to freedom, security, and personal integrity):
- Everyone has the right to liberty, security, and personal integrity.
- No one shall be arrested or detained except in accordance with the law.
- Anyone deprived of liberty has the right to be promptly informed of the reasons, to communicate with a lawyer of their choice, and to have their detention reviewed by a judge.
- No one shall be subjected to inhumane or degrading treatment.
The actions of PNTL officers on 16 September constitute human rights violations, crimes, and serious offenses against academic freedom, as guaranteed by international human rights law and the Timor-Leste Constitution.
Through this press conference, the UNTL students, condemn these violent actions by police members and demand that the PNTL General Command, as well as relevant government institutions, immediately:
- Halt (urgently) all forms of police intervention within the UNTL campus and classrooms, as well as other higher education institutions.
- Suspend, discipline, and subject to judicial investigation those PNTL and BOP officers involved in physical assaults, shouting, beating, kicking, and forcibly removing students, including the case of a female student who was physically assaulted by police officers.
- Issue a formal directive (circular or letter) prohibiting police presence, uniforms, or armed intervention in university campuses in the future, including UNTL and all higher education institutions in Timor-Leste.”
The students concluded by urging the PNTL General Commander, all police units in Timor-Leste, and relevant ministries to ensure that UNTL and other campuses remain free from illegal intervention, thus guaranteeing a safe environment for academic activities without intimidation, violence, or external interference, particularly from police or military forces.
They stressed that UNTL campuses, and universities across Timor-Leste, must remain safe spaces for academic activities, free from intimidation and violence, in order to uphold human rights, protect academic freedom, and restore public trust in PNTL and BOP as institutions responsible for safeguarding peace, justice, law, and order according to their mandate.
Report: Press Release
Photo: Domingas