Chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, Usman Hamid, has accused former top spy Muchdi Purpranjono of attempting to disrupt the investigation of the murder of the late human rights activist Munir by filing a defamation case against him with police.

"The aim of this maneuver is to take attention away from the main problem of who is responsible for Munir's death," said Usman, in a press conference at the Kontras office, Menteng, Friday.

Muchdi filed a defamation complaint with police earlier that day, stating that Usman had blatantly accused him of responsibility for Munir's murder in September 2004. Muchdi previously stood trial for allegedly masterminding the murder.

All accusations against Muchdi were dropped by the South Jakarta District Court on Dec. 31 because of a lack of proof. The decision came as a shock to the public as the team of prosecutors used the same evidence used to out the executor of the murder, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, behind bars for 20 years.

Usman said he was not shaken by the defamation report, as he had previously received similar threats from Muchdi's higher ups, including former State Intelligence Agency's head A.M Hendropriyono.

"Go ahead, I will not back down. The report is premature as the legal process has not finished. It is not right to accuse someone who is trying to solve a crime," he said, referring to an appeal currently being perused. (emh)