TIMOR-LESTE | Virgílio da Silva Guterres takes office as Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice

On 5 January 2023, Mr. Virgílio da Silva Guterres was appointed as the new Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (Provedor dos Direitos Humanos e Justiçe, PDHJ) of Timor-Leste for a five-year term.

Mr. Guterres had been involved in the activities of journalism since 1998. Before being appointed as a Provedor, Mr. Guterres was the President of the Timor-Leste Press Council, appointed by the National Parliament of Timor-Leste for the period 2016 – 2020, as well as 2021 – 2022.

While pursuing journalistic activities, Mr. Guterres deepened his knowledge in the journalism area and participated in training in several countries, such as Indonesia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. With his involvement in journalistic activities and his existing knowledge, Mr. Guterres was entrusted to leading the Board of Timor-Leste Radio Television Public Administration Service (SP RTTL) from 2003 – 2005. At the same time, he was also entrusted to holding a position as Director General of Timor-Leste Radio and Television (RTTL) from 2004 – 2006.

Mr. Guterres is a former mechanical engineer student of the Institut Sains dan Teknologi (ISTN) Jakarta, Indonesia. He is married with three children.

For more details, please see the short biography in the download section below.

Source: Provedoria dos Direitos Humanos e Justiçe (PDHJ), Timor-Leste