Activists frustrated by little progress in Munir case<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Human rights activists have criticized the police for the
\nlimited progress they have made in investigating the alleged
\nmurder of rights champion Munir.<\/p>\n
They also urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to give
\ngreater power to the government-sanctioned fact-finding team to
\nensure that the probe into the high-profile assassination case is
\ncarried out properly.<\/p>\n
\"After several months (since the case emerged), the
\ninvestigation into Munir's death has barely progressed as the
\npolice are yet to name a suspect, even though they have
\nquestioned 87 witnesses,\" said Usman Hamid, a coordinator of the
\nNational Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
\n(Kontras), which was co-founded by Munir.<\/p>\n
Usman is also a member of the special fact-finding team, set
\nup on Dec. 23, under a presidential regulation that limits the
\nteam's authority, so that it merely assists the police in the
\ninvestigation process. Activists have urged the President to
\nrevise the regulation.<\/p>\n
\"On the other hand, the President seems to be delaying his
\nresponse to our request for a review of the regulation, meaning
\nthat we have lost our credibility (in the investigation),\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Activists have also insisted that the President approve the
\nestablishment of a supervisory team chaired by noted lawyer
\nTodung Mulya Lubis, Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Ma'arief
\nand a high-ranking police officer.<\/p>\n
Rights activists Munir was found dead on board a Garuda flight
\nto Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. An autopsy conducted by the
\nNetherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) concluded that a lethal
\nlevel of arsenic was found in Munir's body, which led to his
\ndeath.<\/p>\n
\"We do understand that the President is now focusing on the
\ncurrent disaster in Aceh, but we hope the police can make better
\nprogress as it has set up a team to probe the case,\" Usman said,
\nreferring to the police team led by Sr. Comr. Octavinus Farfar.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the
\npolice were now focusing their investigation on a passenger with
\nIndonesian nationality who sat beside Munir during the flight.<\/p>\n
\"We have his address but we have not yet met the man. If we
\nare able to find him, we will question him and determine whether
\nor not he played a role in the murder, or whether he knew the
\nsituation minutes before Munir died,\" Da'i said as quoted by
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
He refused to elaborate further.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/activists-frustrated-by-little-progress-in-munir-case-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }