Under mangled branches in a dusty, untended East Java cemetery lie the remains of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

More than two years after Munir's September 2004 murder, questions still remain about his death. Dozens of murder and disappearance cases remain open in this country. But Munir's case exerts a special pull, and each new development excites more public attention. Munir's body may rest in his hometown of Malang, but the mystery of his death remains very much alive.

Munir was not just a mere critic of the military and intelligence. He and his colleagues at the independent Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) were actively involved in investigations into human rights abuses. In the course of such probes they often crossed risky paths and influential people. Why people saw it necessary to kill Munir while he was on his way out of the country to study in Amsterdam only adds to the mystery.

Munir's widow Suciwati – along with the relatives of missing student activists, the parents of children killed in the 1998 riots and former political prisoners – are among those waiting for the answer to one question: who killed the man who was seeking justice for all those who had lost loved ones to the violent abuse of power?

On Tuesday, police said they had two new suspects in the murder case. Lo and behold, they were "officials" from Garuda Indonesia. As they have not been named, we can only guess they are superiors of the former sole defendant in the case, Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto. The only person to have ever been charged in the case, Pollycarpus was cleared by the Supreme Court in October 2006.

The announcement of the new suspects is yet another insult to the public's intelligence. Who really believed it when Pollycarpus' prosecutors said Munir was murdered because the off-duty pilot resented him for his frequent criticisms of the military? And now we're expected to believe the Garuda officials had a similar kind of motive to kill Munir?

Pollycarpus was sentenced to 14 years prison for lacing Munir's drink with arsenic during the journey to Amsterdam. But the verdict also stated he was clearly not acting alone, and urged further investigation into other parties that may have been responsible for Munir's death.

Where will the investigation into the two new suspects lead us? Probably nowhere, if not backwards.

It was National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto himself who said any progress in the investigation would depend on Pollycarpus' cooperation. Investigations showed Pollycarpus was in intensive communication with a person who, through tracing their phone number, was identified as a former intelligence officer. The intelligence body, BIN, has denied any involvement in the case.

Many times over we are left with unanswered questions and rumors of ugly conspiracies. And, worse than that, there is the lingering sense that Munir's case will not be the last. The continued culture of impunity means it is likely someone else with the right connections will be able to get away as easily as Munir's killers have.

Tuesday's announcement was an obvious attempt to buy time and pay lip service to the international community, which has more than once questioned the lack of progress in the case.

While Gen. Sutanto displayed little optimism after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave the order to resume the investigation, someone had to be paraded to the world as a sign of progress.

Meanwhile, the government has not even made public the report of the president's personally-appointed fact finding team. It is now public knowledge that team members have strongly urged investigation into intelligence officials, who remain unmolested by police.

The state may be entitled to some discretion, intelligence operations included. But while its command structure remains beyond accountability, we are expected to believe that the flight attendants, pilots and CEO of our national carrier have moonlighted as mercenaries.

The Munir death case goes deeper than the murder of someone who fought for human rights. It is a reflection of the prevailing failure to rein in an office which justifies the use of any grim means to reach its own devious ends.

This case should go beyond looking for a smoking gun or even the finger that pulled the trigger. We need to know who at the top made the order to silence Munir.

The inability to achieve accountability – not only of individuals but also of institutions – presents a clear danger to the future of all citizens. The current freedom of some to kill and silence who they want harks of fascism and totalitarianism.

Munir's ghost will continue to haunt us if we allow our hard earned democracy be corroded by hidden assassins.