Jakarta – Local and international human rights advocates are clamoring for further investigation of the death of activist Munir Said Thalib, who died from arsenic poisoning on a Garuda Indonesia flight to Holland seven years ago.

Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) – a group founded by Munir – said on Tuesday that the commission would rally outside the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

The demonstration would commemorate the anniversary of Munir's death and draw attention to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's failure to publish the results of the investigation of Munir's death, as previously promised, he said.

The "systematic" nature of the murder had to be investigated, including "the fact that airport cameras were offline when Munir boarded his flight", Haris said.

Haris added that then National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri told Kontras about a recorded conversation between Muchdi Purwoprandjono and Munir's alleged murderer, Pollycarpus Budihari Prijanto, that might be used as evidence to bring the mastermind of Munir's murder to justice.

Pollycarpus, a former Garuda pilot, was tried and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in 2008 for the premeditated murder of Munir.

The court said that Pollycarpus poisoned Munir by putting arsenic in his tea at a cafe at Changi International Airport when Munir was transiting through Singapore on a journey to Amsterdam.

Although the Jakarta High Court upheld Pollycarpus' conviction on appeal, the Supreme Court acquitted Pollycarpus of the murder charges and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment for falsifying documents.

The Attorney General's Office's (AGO) subsequent appeal of the acquittal was upheld, and the Supreme Court reversed itself, overturning its earlier ruling and again sentencing Pollycarpus to 20 years' imprisonment. Pollycarpus has since filed a further case review.

Muchdi, who was then deputy chairman of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), was tried for Munir's murder and found innocent.

In the absence of further investigation of Muchdi, rights activists alleged that the government has concealed the mastermind behind Munir's murder. Haris said that efforts to achieve justice for Munir would be in vain if Yudhoyono did not have the will to resolve the case.

"I am worried that the President has not made further investigation of Muchdi his top priority. [Muchdi] is now a politician in a political party that might help the President's party secure victory in the upcoming 2014 presidential election," Haris said.

Separately, Amnesty International, a London-based human rights group, has urged the AGO launch a new investigation of Munir's death. The rights group sent a letter to Attorney General Basrief Arief on Tuesday asking that he prioritize investigation of Munir's case.

"The lack of accountability in Munir's case contributes to an ongoing sense of fear among human rights defenders in Indonesia," Amnesty said in the letter, a copy of which was sent to the Post.

"At the time, human rights groups said the trial did not meet international standards of fairness after key prosecution witnesses retracted their sworn testimonies," the letter continued.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar declined to comment on reopening the investigation. AGO spokesman Noor Rachmad was not available for comment. (rpt)