Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The widow of murdered activist Munir and her lawyers pressed national flagship airline Garuda on Monday to hand over documents they say could lead to his killers.
Suciwati, with help from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), is suing Garuda for "negligence" leading to the September 2004 death of Munir Said Thalib.
"We will stick to our beliefs and not let the voice of justice down. We refuse to promote harmony unless Garuda hands us the documents related to the murder," said Choirul Anam, Suciwati's legal advisor.
The session was adjourned until Nov. 29, to give the plaintiff and the accused time to find an amicable solution. The court ordered both parties to go through mediation. The trial will be resumed if they fail to reach an agreement.
Garuda's lawyer, Moh. Assegaf, said mediation was only a means of appeasing both sides. "Giving over the documents is out of the question because this case is a civil case. The real question is whether Garuda, including its crew and management, had any reason to let the activist die," he told The Jakarta Post.
Choirul said the group would ask for assistance from the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA). He said the organization had handled similar cases for other carriers.
Suciwati also demanded that the financially ailing airline pay a total of Rp 13.7 billion (US$1.5 million) in compensation for her husband's death, including Rp 4.7 billion in material losses and Rp 9 billion in non-material losses.
Off-duty Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was sentenced to 14 years in jail for helping to deliver a fatal dose of poison to Munir on his flight to Amsterdam. But the Supreme Court quashed the conviction and his sentenced was reduced to two years for falsifying travel documents.
Activists have alleged that the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) was behind the plot, but BIN leaders have denied any involvement.
On Saturday, Suciwati and the rights groups demanded that the UN become involved in the probe, saying special rapporteur Philip Alston had offered his assistance. She wants the Indonesian government to grant formal approval for his involvement in the probe.
Foreign Ministry director general for multilateral affairs Moh. Slamet Hidayat, however, rejected the idea of the UN joining the investigation.
"First, we are still investigating the case. Second, we have the authority to reject any request by a special rapporteur to visit Indonesia. And third, we have plans to host three special rapporteurs this year and next year, excluding Alston," he told the Post.
He said the Munir case had not ruined Indonesia's image as many have feared, adding that during the recent meeting of the UN General Assembly on social affairs and human rights, no countries mentioned human rights problems in Indonesia or the Munir case.