Bati Kartini – The executive director of a committee fighting for justice for murdered human rights lawyer Munir Said Thalib was called to the Jakarta Police Headquarters on Wednesday to be questioned as a suspect in a defamation case.

Usman Hamid, from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), was summoned to answer police questions about alleged defamation against Muchdi Purwoprandjono, a suspect in Munir's murder who was later acquitted by the courts.

Usman arrived alone at the headquarters at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday. He told the press that he was prepared for the investigation. "They [the police] have reasons to name me as a suspect. I will face the law to the very end," Usman said.

Previously, Adj. Chief Cmr. Daniel Boli Tifaona, the head of state security unit at Jakarta Police, said that Usman had been named as a suspect because police had gathered enough evidence from witnesses.

Muchdi's lawyer reported Usman to the police because he allegedly called Muchdi a murderer when he attended a court trial into Munir's death a few months ago. Muchdi, former deputy chairman of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), was a defendant in the case, but was acquitted by the court.

Munir, who founded Kontras and Imparsial, died of arsenic poisoning on a Garuda flight en route to Amsterdam in September 2004. He was 38.

Prosecutors alleged that Muchdi used his influence at BIN to orchestrate the murder in an attempt to avenge his ousting from the top post of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in 1998, believing that Munir's criticisms over the kidnappings of students and activists by the elite unit cost him his career.

However, the South Jakarta District Court ruled that Muchdi was not guilty as prosecutors had failed to prove the motive. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in June this year, who rejected the prosecutors' appeal.

Human rights activists, including Munir's wife Suciwati, have labelled the courts' decisions as unjust.