A Guilty Verdict but the Search for Munir's Killers Continues

Alert Issued: December 21, 2005

The defendant was not alone. There is another party that legal authorities should find through a more thorough investigation.

- Judge Cicut Sutiarso

On Tuesday, December 20, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was sentenced to 14 years for his role in the murder of Munir, the Indonesian human rights hero poisoned last year on a flight to Amsterdam. While prosecutors treated the murder as an individual crime, in his verdict the judge noted that others were involved and should be investigated.

But Munir's friends and family have less hope for justice then at any time since his death, because:

• The official fact-finding team was disbanded in June and its report has not been released.

• Despite its recommendations, no follow-up commission was created.

• The police investigation has faltered, with most investigators reassigned to other cases.

• Nearly all convictions in human rights cases in Indonesia are reversed on appeal.

Unless the Indonesian government acts quickly, there will be no means to obtain justice for Munir and his family. Please urge President Yudhoyono to ensure the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the conspiracy to murder Munir.

White Paper on Munir Murder Investigation and Trial

Sample Letter:

Dear President Yudhoyono,

Munir was not the first human rights defender to be killed in Indonesia. The killers of Marsinah, Jaffar Siddiq Hamzah, the RATA staff in Aceh, and many others have never been prosecuted. Impunity led inevitably to further killings and other serious violations of human rights, until a group of people decided they could murder one of Indonesia’s leading human rights lawyers on an international flight and get away with it.

In December 2004 you took the important step of creating an official fact-finding team and meeting with it regularly. Your office promised to do whatever it would take to bring Munir’s killers to justice. The prompt and successful prosecution of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto demonstrates a recognition of the importance of this case.

But it also clearer than ever that justice will not be done unless your government takes immediate further action. The official fact-finding team was disbanded in June and the government has not released its report. Despite the team’s recommendations, no follow up commission was created to continue the investigation. The police investigation appears to have collapsed, with most investigators reassigned to other cases.

On the heels of this week’s verdict, many have called for the identification and prosecution of all of those behind Munir’s death. In his verdict, Judge Sutiarso said “the defendant was not alone. There is another party that legal authorities should find through a more thorough investigation.” The U.S. State Department said in a statement, “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.” Even intelligence director Syamsir Siregar asserted “We have long been cooperative. If police want to investigate, please go ahead, there’s no problem.”

The day after the verdict, your spokesman stated that you had called on all agencies to continue the investigation. I urge you to translate this important statement into concrete action, beginning with the release of the fact-finding team report submitted to your office six months ago. I also call on you to create a new investigative body with a robust mandate and your full support. This team should take up Mr. Siregar’s offer by investigating any past or present intelligence officials thought to have been in regular contact with the defendant at the time of the murder. While the police should also reinvigorate their investigation, their performance to date shows they cannot be relied upon to follow this case to its conclusion without action from your office.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.