Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Activists have dismissed speculation that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a deal with retired generals or military leaders to arrest former senior intelligence officer Muchdi Purwopranjono.
It has been suggested that Muchdi was arrested for his alleged role in the murder of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib as part of a political deal to raise the President's image ahead of the 2009 presidential election.
Rights activists close to the murder investigation said they believed police were "serious" about finding Munir's killers with the arrest of Maj. Gen. (ret.) Muchdi, a former deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
They said the allegation Muchdi was only a scapegoat to allow other higher-ranking officers to escape justice was untenable because the President would not be able to control the case once it reached court.
"It's too risky for SBY to make a political deal in the Munir murder, and the police would refuse to be used as a political tool to arrest someone such as Muchdi without sufficient evidence," said Usman Hamid, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).
He said Muchdi's arrest was "significant progress" in the investigation and the police deserved applause.
Usman said he believed Muchdi's arrest was delayed because the police had been collecting more evidence after the Supreme Court jailed pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto for 20 years for murdering Munir. The conviction of Pollycarpus strongly convinced the police that Muchdi was involved in the case, Usman added.
Setara Institute director Hendardi, who – like Usman – was a member of an independent team set up by Yudhoyono to find Munir's killers, similarly said any attempt to restrict suspects in the case to Muchdi would fail.
"The trials of Pollycarpus and other defendants revealed facts and names. That's how the police managed to catch Muchdi. So, once this case is taken to court, further evidence and names will appear connecting Muchdi to other people," Hendardi said.
After years of uncertainty, the police arrested Muchdi on charges of violating Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
Muchdi is alleged to have played a part in the murder of Munir, who died from arsenic poisoning on board a Garuda Indonesia flight on Sept. 7, 2004, flying from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Singapore.
Muchdi's name was mentioned in a written statement issued by BIN agent Budi Santoso that was read out in court during Pollycarpus' trial.
Despite public praise for the police and Yudhoyono for taking action against Muchdi, some observers expressed concern the case would end with his detention, saying higher-ranking BIN officers would escape justice because the situation was devised only to please the public ahead of the 2009 elections.
Public pressure has increased for the police to broaden the investigation by arresting other senior BIN officers.
Munir's widow Suciwati, activists and lawmakers have mounted demands for the police to summon A.M. Hendropriyono, who led the BIN at the time of the murder, and his other former deputy M. As'ad.
Soeripto, deputy chief of the House of Representatives' Commission III for legal affairs, who is also a former BIN officer, alleged the Munir murder was planned at an internal BIN meeting in 2004. Hendropriyono has repeatedly dismissed allegations he played a role in the murder.