Punitive Damages

This wrenching documentary about a mother's search for accountability in the murder of her son during a pro-democracy rally is a deeply involving human-interest story. But the fact that his death occurred in East Timor makes it essential viewing for anyone interested in that region's ongoing crisis. At the time of his death, 20-year-old New Zealander Kamal Bamadhaj was heavily involved with the pro-democracy student movement in East Timor, which had been held in the iron grip of neighboring Indonesia since 1975. In 1991, with a Portuguese parliamentary delegation planning to visit, the Indonesian military attempted to squelch all signs of organized resistance. At a...