Court acquits ex-spy official of activist`s murder

JAKARTA, Dec. 31 Kyodo -
An Indonesian court on Wednesday acquitted a former intelligence official of
charges of involvement in the murder of a prominent human rights activist four
years ago.
A judicial panel of the South Jakarta District Court cleared Muchdi
Purwoprandjono, a former deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN),
of abusing his power and ordering the death of Munir, a longtime critic of the
government and military over their poor human rights records.
Presiding Judge Suharto said the indictment by government prosecutors had not
been ''accompanied by enough evidence and strong witnesses.''
The panel of judges also said Purwoprandjono had an alibi as he was on a
business trip in Malaysia when Munir was poisoned.
Soon after the verdict was read out, Purwoprandjono's supporters cheered, while
Munir's expressed their anger by shouting, ''Murderer! Murderer!''
''This verdict shows that the justice has been emasculated,'' Munir's wife
Suciwati told reporters. ''It needs a long struggle to fight for justice.''
She said she would appeal to the Supreme Court.
Munir, co-founder of two human rights organizations, died of arsenic poisoning
on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in September 2004.
He had revealed that the perpetrators of a series of kidnappings against 13
human rights and anti-government activists between 1997 and 1998 were members
of the KOPASSUS special forces. At that time, Purwoprandjono was the KOPASSUS
commander and Munir's finding led to his dismissal.
Prosecutors had indicted Purwoprandjono for abusing his power and ordering
Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, a 46-year-old pilot for Garuda Indonesia, to
commit the murder.
Early this year, the Supreme Court sentenced Priyanto to 20 years in jail for
his part in Munir's murder. The judges said he falsified documents to be able
to join the flight.
The police investigation continued following the imprisonment of Priyanto,
leading to Purwoprandjono's arrest in June, as they were sure that Priyanto was
only the ''field operator.''
A report by a government-appointed fact-finding team tasked with helping police
probe the death concluded that former and active officials at BIN were involved
in a conspiracy to murder Munir.
The team found Priyanto had been in telephone contact with BIN officials 41
times before and after Munir's murder and it submitted the names of seven
people allegedly involved in the case.
BIN officials were summoned to clarify the agency's role, if any, but agency
officials kept refusing to respond to the summons and kept denying any
involvement.
Purwoprandjono was the first BIN official to be tried in connection with
Munir's case. Human rights activists have seen his trial as an important event,
given the long-term lack of accountability by members of the military and
intelligence services.
Despite compelling evidence, including telephone records, documents and sworn
statements by intelligence agents, witnesses tried to withdraw statements they
had made to the police during the trial, which was packed with Purwoprandjono'
supporters.
The witnesses claimed to have forgotten basic facts or failed to appear in
court. Several witnesses also contradicted their statements to investigators,
claiming they did not know or remember the answers to questions they had
answered in detail previously.
''Munir's murder is an open wound in Indonesia that will not heal until all
those responsible are held accountable,'' Asia Director of Human Rights Watch
Brad Adams said in a statement.
==Kyodo