Munir's spirit<\/p>\n
It was exactly one year ago that we were left in shock at the
\nnews of the death of Munir Thalib Said, one of the country's
\nboldest and most consistent defenders of human rights.<\/p>\n
The shock quickly turned to horror when it was quickly
\nestablished that his death was caused by poisoning. An autopsy
\nconducted by Dutch authorities found four times the lethal dose
\nof arsenic in his body.<\/p>\n
Munir fought against many unspeakable acts during the height
\nof totalitarianism. The fate that eventually befell him was
\ninitially deemed unthinkable in the new, democratic Indonesia.<\/p>\n
It became clear that he had been poisoned while flying on
\nGaruda Airlines to the Netherlands where he had received a
\nscholarship to pursue his studies.<\/p>\n
In movies, cloak and dagger intrigue is fascinating to watch.
\nIn real life, such events only prove the impunity of the rights
\nabusers in this country.<\/p>\n
Munir was certainly a thorn in the side of the powers that be
\nwho considered themselves above the law. His tireless work can be
\ntraced back to the late 1980s when he began working for the Legal
\nAid Institute in Surabaya, East Java. Such was his tenacity that
\nhe eventually handled major cases in Jakarta in the mid 1980s at
\nthe Legal Aid Institute in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In 1998, he co-founded the Commission for Missing Persons and
\nVictims of Violence (Kontras). A year later, he was appointed as
\na member of the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights
\nViolations in East Timor (KPP-HAM) set up by the National Human
\nRights Commission.<\/p>\n
His tireless desire to uphold respect for human rights, even
\nduring the reformasi era, was again proven when he helped
\nestablish the human rights group Imparsial.<\/p>\n
Until recently, his life-long dedication seems to have
\nreceived more international recognition than it did from his
\nbeloved country. In 1998, Munir was honored with the prestigious
\nYap Thiam Hien human rights award.<\/p>\n
It is almost incomprehensible, and downright detestable, that
\none year after Munir's murder on Sept. 7, 2004, that we still
\nhave failed to fully uncover the conspiracy behind the murder.<\/p>\n
A district court is trying a Garuda pilot named Pollycarpus
\nBudihari Priyanto for the murder. But it is clear that he did not
\nwork alone.<\/p>\n
The persons more dangerous than the man who \"pulled the
\ntrigger\" are the ones who ordered and planned the assassination.<\/p>\n
Murder mysteries can be difficult to investigate. We
\nunderstand that about homicide investigations, especially those
\nthat are politically motivated. But what is most upsetting is the
\nway many institutions have showed an utter disrespect for the
\ninvestigation, despite a direct presidential decree instructing
\nall state institutions to fully cooperate with the investigators.<\/p>\n
To this day, there remains limited followup on the government-
\nsanctioned fact finding team's report, which revealed a highly
\nsuspicious link between Pollycarpus and the state intelligence
\nagency (BIN).<\/p>\n
No wonder team member Asmara Nababan remarked in desperation
\ntwo months ago that the public should \"conclude for themselves
\nwho should be held responsible\" since \"untouchables from a feared
\nintelligence agency\" apparently cannot be brought to justice.<\/p>\n
We can now understand the kind of frustration Munir felt in
\ndefending the cause of human rights against recalcitrant state
\nofficials who believe themselves to be above the norms and rules
\nof other Indonesian citizens.<\/p>\n
But rather than defeat, we should take strength from Munir's
\nown inexhaustible determination to pursue what is right and just.
\nIf he was able to endure in so many cases for such a long time
\ndespite extreme hazards, surely we owe it to him to prevail in
\nthis case.<\/p>\n
Munir tried to bring peace and justice to so many afflicted
\nIndonesians. It is time for us to return the favor by bringing
\nclosure to his case.<\/p>\n
We must keep the spirit of his determination alive.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/munirs-spirit-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }