Govt blamed for unfinished probe into Munir assassination
Govt blamed for unfinished probe into Munir assassination
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Human rights campaigners on Wednesday blamed the slow
investigation into last year's murder of pro-democracy activist
Munir on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's reluctance to
unravel the case and bring all of the perpetrators to justice.
They say they suspect the shifting of Brig. Gen. Marsudi
Hanafi, who chaired the police team investigating the high-
profile murder case, into a non-portfolio job at National Police
headquarters was part of a scenario to halt the investigation.
Marsudi used to serve at the police's detective directorate
when he led the now-defunct government-sanctioned fact-finding
team assigned to assist police probe into the murder.
A police team of 34 officers had been appointed to carry on
the investigation after the fact-finding team's tenure expired in
June. Marsudi again is in charge of the probe.
The rights groups recently noticed that only two officers,
including Marsudi, were actually conducting investigations, while
the rest had been given other jobs.
"The police decision to halt the investigation into the death
of Munir gives us a clear message that this country's legal
system will not touch the masterminds. Instead, the system will
only fault the field-level operator, who may be acquitted in an
appeal court," Usman Hamid of the Imparsial rights watch group
said in a joint statement.
Also present were Asmara Nababan, Todung Mulya Lubis, Rachland
Nashiddik and Munir's widow Suciwati.
The activists were referring to Garuda pilot Pollycarpus
Budihari Priyanto, who is standing trial for allegedly poisoning
Munir during the Jakarta to Singapore leg of a flight to
Amsterdam.
Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for Pollycarpus.
The fact-finding team believes that certain individuals in the
intelligence community had a role in the murder. It also
recommended a police investigation into several high-ranking
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) officials in connection with
the case.
Separately, Pollycarpus told a hearing at the Central Jakarta
District Court that he planned to file a complaint with the
President over the murder charges leveled on him.
"The prosecutor's team have made accusations against me based
on their own assumptions and such charges might lead to life
imprisonment. Therefore, I will file a complaint with the
President, the Prosecutor's Commission and the UN High Commission
for Human Rights over this unfair trial," Pollycarpus said.
The Prosecutor's Commission has not yet been established,
pending the President's approval of its elected members.
"As a citizen, I have the right to seek justice," Pollycarpus
said.
The panel of judges will deliver a verdict next Tuesday.