Aniceto Guterres Lopes

On December 7, 1975, Lopes and his family fled the country to Builalu, Indonesia to escape from the Indonesian troops that invaded East Timor. Upon their return to East Timor a year later, the Lopes family discovered their village of Tapo was destroyed, and moved to Maliana.

In 1985, Lopes studied law at the Udayana University in Bali, after obtaining a scholarship from the governor of East Timor.

While studying in Indonesia, Lopes joined the National Resistance of East Timorese Students ({{langx|pt|Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste}} (RENETIL)) in 1989. Lopes was in charge of relaying political information to and from East Timor and other parts of the world.

After moving back to East Timor in 1991, Lopes worked for a NGO in Dili.

From 1992 to 1996, Lopes served as the secretary general of the East Timor Agriculture and Development Foundation (ETADEF).

Lopes began his law practice in 1996 by starting a law firm in East Timor where he represented clients in cases where human rights were violated.

Lopes co-founded the Human Rights and Justice Foundation (Yayasan Hukum, Hak Asasi dan Keadilan, abbreviated as Yayasan HAK{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/organization/yayasan-hak|title=Yayasan HAK|website=Reliefweb|date=8 September 2001 }}) in 1997, when East Timor was still ruled by Indonesian armed forces. The organization offers legal services to human rights victims,{{cite web|title=Lopes, Aniceto Guterres Citation|url=http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/profile/31|website=rmaf.org|publisher=Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation|access-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118145000/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/profile/31|archive-date=18 November 2015|url-status=dead}} and records violations of human rights.{{cite web|title=UN Commission on Human Rights – Special Session on East Timor: Statement by Aniceto Guterres Lopes|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/timor-leste/un-commission-human-rights-special-session-east-timor-statement-aniceto-guterres|website=reliefweb.nt|date=24 September 1999 |access-date=17 November 2015}} Lopes led Yayasan HAK from 1997 to 2002.{{cite web|title=Magsaysay awardee wants to give prize to east timor people|url=http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/2003/07/31/magsaysay-awardee-wants-to-give-prize-to-east-timor-people&post_id=22856|website=ucanews.com|access-date=22 November 2015}}

At a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 1999, Lopes spoke about the problems he and other East Timorese were encountering during Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. Lopes explained that Indonesian supported militia destroyed his home and office in September 1999. Lopes mentioned that he had also been receiving death threats because of his position as a human rights lawyer. Lopes was sworn in as a member of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor's Transitional Judicial Service Commission in 2002.{{cite web|title=Members of judicial service commission swore in|url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/etimor/DB/db040202.htm|website=un.org|access-date=22 November 2015}}

Lopes was named as a commissioner of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) in 2002, during the UNTAET administration, and elected as chair of the commission.[https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/etimor/DB/db210102.htm "Commissioners sworn in to lead Reconciliation Body"] (Retrieved on February 15, 2008) The commission lasted until 2005 and looked into cases of human rights abuse that occurred during the invasion of East Timor.{{cite web|title=Truth Commission: Timor-Leste (East Timor)|url=http://www.usip.org/publications/truth-commission-timor-leste-east-timor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101134219/http://www.usip.org/publications/truth-commission-timor-leste-east-timor|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 1, 2010|website=United States Institute of Peace|access-date=22 November 2015}} He also served as a commissioner on the Indonesia–Timor Leste Commission of Truth and Friendship.{{Cite web|url=http://www.chegareport.net/profil-of-ctf/|title=Commission for Truth and Friendship Indonesia-Timor Leste (CTF)|last=AJAR|website=Asia Justice and Rights|access-date=10 December 2018|archive-date=14 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214111735/http://www.chegareport.net/profil-of-ctf/|url-status=dead}}

Lopes is a member of FRETLIN, one of East Timor's major political parties. He was first elected in 2002 and would become his party's parliamentary leader. In 2017–18, when FRETILIN was in government, he was president of the National Parliament.{{Cite news|url=https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/09/06/new-east-timor-leaders-says-hes-ready-work-church-society/|title=New East Timor leader says he's ready to work with church, society|last=Catholic News Service|date=6 September 2017|work=Crux|access-date=10 December 2018|archive-date=13 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213162159/https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/09/06/new-east-timor-leaders-says-hes-ready-work-church-society/|url-status=dead}}

In 2001, Lopes was named as a fellow of the Ashoka Innovators of the Public.{{cite web|title=Ancieto Guterres Lopes|url=https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/aniceto-guterres-lopes|website=Ashoka.org|access-date=17 November 2015}} Lopes was also awarded the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award of Emergent Leadership, for his courageous stand for justice.

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{{s-bef|before=Adérito Hugo da Costa}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of the National Parliament|years=2017–2018}}

{{s-aft|after=Arão Noé da Costa Amaral}}

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{{Ramon Magsaysay Award Winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopes, Aniceto Guterres}}

Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents of the National Parliament (Timor-Leste)

Category:East Timorese lawyers

Category:Ramon Magsaysay Award winners

Category:People from Bobonaro Municipality

Category:Fretilin politicians