PRESS RELEASE 14 August 2025
Díli, Timor-Leste – The Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, Virgílio da Silva Guterres “Lamukan” welcomes the Government’s initiative to recruit new agents for the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL). Independent studies, including PDHJ’s own reports, confirm that the country lacks sufficient police officers to respond effectively to crime and ensure public safety.
However, after reviewing the public announcement of 4 August 2025 and Ministerial Diploma No. 17/2024 of 25 June, PDHJ identified several recruitment criteria of serious concern:
- Mandatory single status for candidates (Article 20).
- Declarations certifying family ties with veterans (Article 21(3)(j)).
- Requirements for children of PNTL officers to submit parental service records (Article 21(3)(g)).
- Preferential ranking criteria (Article 37) prioritizing children of the “patriot generation,” and children of PNTL officers.
- Admission quotas (Article 42(2)(b)(c)) reserving 20% of vacancies for children of PNTL officers and 20% for children of the “patriot generation,” both based on final scores.
- Medical fitness standards (Annex VI), which include illnesses such as past tuberculosis, malaria, or controlled diabetes. While medical checks are necessary to ensure fitness for duty, some of these conditions are fully curable or manageable. Using them as automatic grounds for exclusion, rather than assessing a candidate’s actual ability to serve, is neither fair nor proportionate.”
Rules granting automatic preference based on family ties or excluding candidates solely for being married violate the principle of equality. Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees that all citizens are equal before the law and prohibits discrimination based on social position, marital status, family background, physical condition, or any other personal status. Article 50 further protects every citizen’s right to work and to freely choose a profession without favouritism or unjust barriers. When citizens do not have equal conditions to compete for public administration jobs, this also constitutes a restriction of the right to work.
Speaking at press conference on 13 August, Ombudsman Guterres stated:
“Prioritizing the children of veterans or police officers does not honour them, it devalues the people who have also sacrificed and suffered. The question is: where do we place the children of ordinary citizens? Giving automatic preference does not truly value veterans or police themselves, because they proved their worth through their own ability. Their children should also prove they can serve — not be overshadowed by their parent.”
PDHJ recalls that Article 2(1) of Ministerial Diploma No. 17/2025 explicitly requires recruitment to respect merit, freedom of candidacy, and equal opportunity, ensuring that selection is based on qualifications, experience, and competence.
Pursuant to Article 150 of the Constitution, the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice will soon submit a petition for abstract constitutional review (fiscalização abstrata) to the Court of Appeal to assess the constitutionality of these recruitment criteria.
This is not only a judicial matter but also a social and historical one. Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence was founded on the values of equality, justice, and dignity for all. Favouring certain groups or excluding others undermines these principles and denies capable Timorese the opportunity to serve their country.
As the national human rights institution, PDHJ has a duty to uphold both the letter of the law and the spirit of justice. Fair, transparent, merit-based recruitment is essential to building police institutions that are credible and trusted by the public.
Therefore, PDHJ urges the Government, particularly the Ministry of Interior and the PNTL General Command, to review and amend these recruitment requirements — including clarifying the criteria related to physical fitness — in order to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens and to remove any elements inconsistent with the rights and principles enshrined in Timor-Leste’s constitutional framework. PDHJ remains ready to cooperate in seeking solutions that protect both national security needs and fundamental rights.
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