The verdict passed on Muchdi Purwoprandjono, on Wednesday last week, was a shock to 37-year-old Suciwati. Muchdi, a suspect in the murder of her husband, Munir, was acquitted. "It hurt," she said. "But I must remain rational. I cannot be emotional."
Even though Suciwati initially said that she doubted the judges who were presiding over her husband's case, she still hoped that they would convict Muchdi, particularly since some facts clearly revealed his connection with Pollycarpus, the pilot convicted of murdering her husband who was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Suciwati has made some effort of her own to discover the identity of the true mastermind behind her husband's murder. She believes that Pollycarpus was just the executor, not the architect.
In addition to meeting with President Yudhoyono, she has asked for help from legislative members of foreign nations, among them the United States, Australia and Canada, asking them to pressure the Indonesian government to solve her husband's death seriously. She also spoke to the UN Human Rights Commission about the death of Munir and the weak investigation and prosecution of his murder case.
On Wednesday last week, at the office of Kontras, the institution established by her late husband, she received Tempo reporter Munawaroh for an interview. "Later after I get home I will tell the children that Muchdi was released. There is still a long way to go," said this mother of two, Alif Allende, 9, and Iva Suukyi, 5. Excerpts of the interview:
What are your thoughts on the judges' decision to release Muchdi?
I saw that there was an imbalance in the facts presented. In several instances, the facts were taken from their side (Muchdi), not from our side.
Many facts were not highlighted by the judges, for instance the testimony of Indra Setiawan (CEO of Garuda Airlines), who explained that there was a connection between Pollycarpus and Muchdi in producing a [job assignment] letter for Indra. The same goes for Budi Santoso's (a State Intelligence Agency or BIN agent). The testimony of my witness, which was crucial, namely that myself and Munir received abduction threats, was not included in the hearing.
Did you expect that the verdict would turn out like this?
I felt that way from the start. The credibility of the South Jakarta District Court is bad. From the outset we felt, oh no, it's South Jakarta. Then the judges, sadly, were the same judges again. These were the ones who gave them that infamous image. Among them were those who had decided in favor of Tommy Suharto, or rejected the pretrial motion to dismiss the Suharto case. It was judges like these who handled the case,
Were you still optimistic when you found out which judges would be passing judgment on Muchdi?
Yes, I had to keep my hopes alive. I still believed that not everyone in our legal system is bad. I believe that everyone has a chance to change. Maybe that was true of other cases. However, for the Munir case, because it received international and complete national attention, I thought they would be more cautious. It turned out that they were not. The verdict has been made. What are you going to do now?
I feel I'm not alone. I am still going to fight until the truth of this case comes out. Many people support what I am doing, and their support is real: they come to the hearings, heat things up in front of the Presidential Palace, and state that they will continue their support no matter what. That energy keeps me from giving up.
Did you see any pressure on the judges to make such a decision?
We can see for ourselves. Today [Muchdi's supporters] controlled the hearing.
Do you still believe that Hendropriyono, Muchdi's superior in BIN at that time, was involved in the case?
We have looked at the facts from the beginning. A BIN agent testified that he was once ordered to kill Munir, through Deputy II and Deputy IV. Then Pollycarpus was found guilty of committing premeditated murder. We could see how Pollycarpus came to be working for aviation security. It was because of a BIN request. Then there was the letter which was signed by the BIN Deputy Chairman. All this indicates that someone in a higher position is required, given that those deputies are compartmentalized. It is not possible for them to coordinate to carry out a single order, unless it is being made by the one at the top. (In an interview with Tempo in July, Hendropriyono denied that there was a BIN operation to kill Munir.)
Does Muchdi's acquittal mean that Pollycarpus was sacrificed in this case?
No, he was just the executioner. We knew that from the beginning. The problem is, the judges are not credible. This court is not a credible court.
The prosecutors will certainly file for an appeal?
Yes. We are also monitoring to ensure they do it right, not to leave anything out. The prosecutors said they will appeal, but they could very well evade us.
Muchdi's side claims that they are going to sue all who damaged his reputation, including you.
Let him do that. This country has a legal system with due legal process. I feel that this is just a way of diverting the issue. We are going to stay focused on how to break this case. That's all.
Are you still optimistic that the case can be broken to reveal who orchestrated it?
Yes I am. Like I said, I have to keep my flame of hope alive. If that flame is extinguished, then I won't know what to do. Right now I am protecting that flame.