U.S. urges RI to release Munir probe
U.S. urges RI to release Munir probe
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Jakarta
The U.S. government urged Indonesia to release the results of an
independent probe into the murder of a prominent rights activist,
and to prosecute all those involved in the crime, a statement
said on Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department applauded the conviction of state
airline pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who was sentenced on
Tuesday to 14 years in prison, but called on the government to
bring to justice others who the court said were involved.
"The judges concluded that the defendant acted as part of a
larger conspiracy and urged Indonesian authorities to continue
their investigation," said State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack in a statement.
"We encourage Indonesia's pursuit of justice for the murder of
Munir, and we are heartened by the court's call for further
investigation into this crime," he said.
The State Department also urged the government to release the
confidential report of a fact-finding team that reportedly found
others, including members of the National Intelligence Agency
(BIN), may have been involved in the assassination of Munir, who
was poisoned during a flight to Amsterdam in September.
"We encourage Indonesia to release publicly the Fact Finding
Team's report and to take appropriate law enforcement measures
against any persons implicated in the crime," McCormack said.
Munir, 38, a vocal critic of Indonesia's military for alleged
human-rights abuses in the conflictive provinces of Aceh and
Papua, died Sept. 7 of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda flight
bound for Amsterdam from Jakarta.
The court said on Tuesday that Pollycarpus was "not the only
one behind Munir's death," and specifically cited discussions
between the pilot and another person through a cellular phone
belonging to Muchdi Purwoprandjono, former deputy chief of BIN.
Muchdi has admitted, in witness testimony in a previous court
hearing, to having owned the mobile phone, but said that he was
not the only person using it.
A group of dozens of rights activists rallied outside the
court building on Tuesday, accusing BIN of being involved and
calling on President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono to bring to justice
the masterminds of the killing.
Susilo established an independent body, consisting of 13
members from various backgrounds ranging from non-government
organizations to government officials, to investigate the case
after allegations surfaced that the intelligence agency may have
been involved.
Despite members of the fact-finding team saying their
investigation pointed to the involvement of certain intelligence
officials and recommended a police investigation into their
suspected connection in the case, Susilo has been criticized for
refusing to release and act swiftly on the results of the probe.