With the excuse of fighting against colonialism, in 1975, the Indonesian army invaded East Timor and overthrew the government, unleashing a violent occupation that lasted until 2002 and claimed the lives of more than 60 thousand Timorese people.

In October 1991, during the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishments, Peter Kooijmans, a delegation consisting of members of the Portuguese Parliament and twelve journalists failed to investigate serious violations in East Timor. Tensions between Indonesian authorities and young people from East Timor were on the rise during the days after the cancellation of the commission.

On 28 October, Indonesian troops found a group of members of the resistance at Dili’s Motael Church. During the confrontation, several people were killed, including independentist Sebastião Gomes. On 12 November 1991, many Timorese people attended mass in memory of Sebastião Gomes. It was the biggest and most visible protest against the Indonesian occupation since 1975. A few minutes after protesters arrived at the Santa Cruz cemetery, security forces opened fire. The ¡Chega! (“enough” in Portuguese) report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation registered 271 dead people, 250 missing and hundreds of people injured. In 1999, the Portuguese and Indonesian governments agreed to hold a public consultation, under the supervision of the United Nations. On 20 May 2002, East Timor gained its full independence.