Heru Andriyanto – Hundreds of protesters picketed the Attorney General's Office on Monday to push for a review of the Munir Said Thalib case, which saw former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono acquitted of the charge that he ordered the murder of the renowned rights activist.

"Today is the fifth anniversary of Munir's death but the mystery behind his murder has never been uncovered," said Choirul Anam, coordinator of the Committee of Action and Solidarity for Munir (Kasum). "The AGO must do its utmost to bring the mastermind of the murder to justice."

Prosecutors had accused Muchdi of ordering the murder to avenge his ouster from the top post of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) in 1998, arguing that Muchdi was fired following fierce criticisms by Munir over the alleged kidnapping of students and activists by the elite unit.

But a district court ruled in Dec. 31, 2008 that such a motive could not be proven and the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal in June. The remaining legal option for the AGO is to ask for a case review.

"If the murder case is left unresolved, it will set a bad precedent for the protection of human rights," Choirul said.

AGO spokesman Jasman Panjaitan said prosecutors were determined to request a case review but they needed to first study the latest Supreme Court verdict in order find a loophole in the ruling that would allow for a challenge.

"But we'll never give up, even though some people dispute the legality of prosecutors' right to ask for a case review," Jasman said.