Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) has listed a number of names of people who are strongly suspected to be involved in the assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib but have yet to be investigated.
KASUM activist Arif Maulana said that these names are actually known from the results of an investigation by the Fact Finding Team (TPF) into the Munir assassination which was established by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono back in 2004.
"Actually there are the names of the actors who are strongly suspected to be involved in a high-level conspiracy to assassinate Munir but to this day have never been questioned, never been probed for information, never investigated by the police, yet these names were clearly recommended [for further investigation] by the TPF", said Maulana during a virtual discussion on Tuesday September 7.
This was conveyed by Maulana as a concrete step that could be pursued by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to fully investigate Munir's murder.
The people who have yet to be investigated are former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief AM Hendropriyono, BIN agent Bambang Irawan and Garuda Indonesia Vice President of Corporate Security Ramelgia Anwar, who was declared a suspect in the case.
In addition to this there is also Garuda Indonesia flight attendants Oedi Irianto and Yetty Susmiyati, both of whom were also declared suspects.
"Why have these people who are strongly suspected of being involved in Munir's assassination never been questioned by the police? This is the big question", said Maulana.
"And this could actually be done. The police could conduct an investigation. Moreover there are two people whose questioning was stopped. The male and female flight attendants who served food and drink to Munir", he added.
Maulana also addressed President Widodo's commitment to resolve the Munir assassination. According to Maulana, Widodo as the highest leader in the country should be able to order the police to conduct an investigation.
Especially since the evidence is already very clear based on the TPF's findings and the facts that came out in court. Yet to this day, Widodo has not done this.
"If the president truly had a commitment and it wasn't just image building, not just using it as a political commodity, this must be shown by things that we can witness together, something concrete, something that would truly advance the handling of the Munir case, not just making loose promises", said Maulana.
As is widely known, today, 17 years ago, Munir was assassinated. Munir drew his last breath on a Garuda Indonesia flight carrying him to Amsterdam. The autopsy result concluded that Munir had been poisoned by arsenic.
Notes
Munir died of arsenic poisoning onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam 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 Megawati Sukarnoputri – the chairperson of President Joko Widodo's ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) – was cited in US diplomatic cables leaked in 2011 as being involved in the planning of Munir's murder. In 2014 Hendropriyono was appointed an advisor to newly elected President Widodo.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "KASUM Ungkap Nama yang Belum Diperiksa terkait Kasus Munir".]
