Netherlands officials have announced plans to immortalize assassinated Indonesian human rights activist Munir Said Thalib by naming a street in The Hague after him.
"The Netherlands has a policy of honoring those dedicated to human rights," said Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a watchdog organization founded by Munir.
The offer to establish Munirstraat, or Munir Street, was officially announced on Monday at an event in The Hague attended by Munir's widow, Suciwati, who is also internationally recognized as a tireless rights activist.
Suciwati is visiting the Netherlands at the invitation of the Movies That Matter film festival and is also scheduled to meet with members of the country's Social Democratic Party.
"Friends, please remember The Hague's promise, because Munir's own country doesn't appreciate what he did," she said in an interview with Radio Nederland on Wednesday, adding that she had been contacted by The Hague's mayor, JJ van Aartsen, who announced the pledge.
Choirul Anam, deputy chairman of the Human Rights Working Group, said he hoped the recognition would inspire a new generation of human rights activists and spearhead efforts to solve Munir's mysterious murder.
The pledge "is a gesture from the Dutch government, because Munir's work transcends nationalities and time. This way, Munir's struggle for human rights will not be forgotten," Choirul said.
Munir died after being poisoned on a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam. He was 38.
Although Pollycarpus Budi Priyanto, a former Garuda pilot, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for lacing Munir's drink with a fatal dose of arsenic, the identities and motives of the masterminds behind the killing have not been proven in court.
A presidentially appointed fact-finding team accused former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy director Muchdi Purwopranjono of masterminding Munir's murder and recruiting Pollycarpus as his accomplice.
When the case eventually went to trial, the prosecution alleged Muchdi had orchestrated the murder to get even with Munir, whose fierce criticism cost the retired army general the top job at the Army's Special Forces unit (Kopassus) in 1998.
However, on Dec. 31, 2008, the South Jakarta District Court found Muchdi not guilty as prosecutors failed to prove the motive after three key prosecution witnesses retracted their sworn testimonies. The verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Court.
Amnesty International said the lack of accountability for Munir's murder has contributed to an ongoing climate of fear among human rights defenders in the country, some of whom have recently come under attack.
"Accountability for Munir's killing will send a clear message that intimidation and attacks against human rights defenders will not be tolerated," the group said in a statement.