SBY vows to bring Munir's murderers to court of justice
SBY vows to bring Munir's murderers to court of justice
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government-sanctioned team assigned to help the police in
investigating the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir
handed over the report of their six-months of work to President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday.
Susilo told the team that he was committed to bring the
perpetrators of the murder to justice.
The President said he would hold a meeting on Monday with
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bakhtiar, Indonesia Military
Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Attorney General Abdul Rahman
Saleh, Head of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Syamsir
Siregar, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto and Minister of Justice and Human
Rights Hamid Awaluddin to discuss ways to follow up on the team's
report.
"The report will be analyzed to seek alternative steps to
follow it up," Cabinet Minister Sudi Silalahi told the press
after the closed-door meeting at the Merdeka Palace.
The meeting was attended by all members of the team, including
team head Brig. Gen. Marsudhi Hanafi, deputy Asmara Nababan and
members Usman Hamid, Rachland Nashidik, Hendardi, Kamala Candra
Kirana and Domo Sihite.
The President, however, did not set a deadline for the police
to wrap up the investigation into the murder. Sudi said that
Susilo is not used to setting deadlines, but he expects it to
finish "very soon".
Marsudhi, whose team's mandate expired on Thursday, said that
the team would not disclose the report to the public. The report
consists of conclusions and recommendations to follow up the
investigation.
The team was set up late last year following the murder of
Munir on board a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in
September. According to the autopsy report, Munir died from
arsenic poisoning. The team had previously said that there was no
need for another extension of their mandate, saying that the
results of their work was sufficient for police to wrap up the
case.
Sudi said that Susilo fully appreciated the fact that the team
did not find any indication of any involvement by the Indonesian
Military. However, he refused to answer as to whether there was
any involvement of retired members of the military in the murder
of Munir, who had been a strong critic of human rights abuses by
the military in the past.
Sudi asserted that the President would let the case be
settled by law.
Usman said that the team had recommended that the President
put pressure on the Police and the National Intelligence Agency
(BIN) to cooperate in the investigation process.
"We do not doubt the President, but it remains a question
whether government institutions (under the President) support
(his) efforts," he said.
Meanwhile, former BIN chief A.M. Hendropriyono met with the
Press Council on Friday to complain about reports in several news
publications alleging his involvement in the killing of Munir.
However, he said he was not considering legal action.
He said he did not expect the Press Council to take any
further action, but just to listen to his complaints.
Hendropriyono, who was accompanied by his brother and two
children, met with deputy chairman of the council R.H. Siregar
and members Leo Batubara, Amir Effendi Siregar, Hinca Panjaitan
and Lukas Luwarso.
With regard to the Munir case, Hendropriyono said that media
coverage had been unfair. In fact, he said, the press had passed
judgment on him in a practice commonly known as "trial by the
press." (004)