Muhammad Ridwan – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) says it regrets efforts to obstruct investigations by the National Human Rights Commission's (Komnas HAM) into past human rights violations, one of which was the alleged assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib.
This was in response to news reports on an effort by the political elite and the ruling political party to postpone the determination of cases of past gross human rights violations. The request for a postponement was made on the grounds that it could cause public unrest in the first 100 working days of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's new administration.
"This request is a serious political obstacle to the pro-judicial investigation process into cases of gross human rights violations in Indonesia", Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid, told reporters on Tuesday November 5.
Usman stressed that this effort is a direct threat to institutional independence, as well as the authority of Komnas HAM's investigations. Moreover, it is an indirect threat to the climate of human rights enforcement in Indonesia in general.
"KASUM rejects all forms of political interference or threats that can undermine the institutional independence and work of Komnas HAM", said Hamid.
Hamid stressed that threats and political interference can clearly be classified as obstruction of justice or actions to hinder the process of law enforcement and justice in the field of human rights protection.
This is because in January 2024 Komnas HAM formed the Ad Hoc Team for the Investigation of Gross Human Rights Violations in the Assassination of Munir Said Talib. One of the stated goals of the ad hoc team is to determine if the Munir case is a gross human rights violation rather than a simple crime.
Also, on September 7 KASUM held a meeting with the ad hoc investigation team at the Komnas HAM offices and was informed that the team had begun to examine witnesses and other related parties, including the former chairperson and members of the Munir Fact Finding Team (TPF) formed in 2005, as well as human rights defenders and law enforcement officials who were involved in handling the case.
"For KASUM, this information showed a significant step forward in drawing back the curtain [covering] the mastermind behind Munir Said Thalib's assassination", said Hamid.
Hamid also confirmed that they need to reaffirm the degree of support from Komnas HAM as an independent state institution so that it is not afraid of these threats. Hamid also expressed their full support for the pro-justice investigation by Komnas HAM's ad hoc investigation team and alleged gross human rights violations in other cases.
"KASUM believes that the solving the Munir assassination case could set a good precedent in efforts to protect human rights defenders and human rights enforcement in all parts of Indonesia", he concluded.
Notes
Renowned human rights defender Munir died of arsenic poisoning onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight on September 7, 2004. Although off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto was convicted of the murder in 2005, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination, former National Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy Muchdi Purwoprandjono, was later acquitted of all charges. Also implicated in the murder but never investigated was former BIN chief AM Hendropriyono. Hendropriyono, a close ally of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, was cited in US diplomatic cables leaked in 2011 as being involved in the planning of the murder. In 2014 Hendropriyono was appointed an advisor to former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
[Translated by James Balowski. Edited slightly for clarity. The original title of the article was "Komite Aksi Solidaritas untuk Munir Sesalkan Upaya Elite Politik untuk Tunda Penetapan Kasus HAM Masa Lalu".]
