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.