Tiarma Siboro/Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Rights activists say certain powerful institutions were behind the poisoning of fellow campaigner Munir and urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to set up a joint team to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) director Rachland Nashidik said on Wednesday that the proposed team should be co-chaired by someone appointed by the President and a public figure trusted by Munir's family and rights non-governmental organizations.
"We believe that political motives are behind the death of Munir and we must stop such dirty works from happening again," Rachland said in a press conference also attended by chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) Hendardi.
Rachland said they had sent a letter to President Susilo, requesting him to hold a hearing with them. "Now, we are waiting for his response," said Rachland.
According to him, police lack the courage to investigate the powerful institutions involved in Munir's poisoning. He declined to name the institutions, but said that the perpetrators were "familiar with secret tasks, well-trained and close to certain powerful institutions." "I can't point my finger directly [at the guilty parties], but we all know that the military didn't like him [Munir]," Rachland said.
Hendardi said the team must be independent, transparent and accessible to the public. "The scandal will remain a scandal if the government fails to ensure a fair investigation process," he said. In a bid to win public support, Munir's fellow activists have moved to collect more signatures to pressure the government.
Munir was found dead aboard a Garuda Indonesia flight a few hours before it landed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. He was traveling to the Netherlands to undertake a master's degree in human rights at Utrecht University. The autopsy, which was conducted by Dutch doctors, found excessive arsenic levels in Munir's body, leading to the preliminary conclusion that he was poisoned during the flight.
Munir rose to prominence in 1998, when he reported the abductions of activists by certain personnel within the powerful Indonesian Military (TNI). Since then, he has been known as a strong critic of the military, which, in many cases, has been accused of orchestrating violent acts.
Munir – who founded both Imparsial and the Commission of Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) – had also been a fierce critic of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) over its antiterrorism bill.
"He was a real defender of victims of state-sponsored violence," Rachland said.
Meanwhile, a National Police team comprising doctors, toxicologists and an investigator is slated to fly to the Netherlands on Thursday morning (today) in a bid to seek the original autopsy results and follow up on the case.
The team held a two-hour long meeting at National Police Headquarters on Wednesday and most of the team members – Dr. Budi Sampurna and Dr. Ridla Bakri of the University of Indonesia, Dr. Amar Singh of North Sumatra University, Adj. Comr. Agung Widjajanto, Adj. Comr. Anton Charlijan, Dr. Adi Queresman of the National Police, Andi Ahmad Bahsari of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Usman Hamid of Kontras – attended the meeting.