Munir Said Thalib: Difference between revisions

| birth_place = [[Malang]]Batu, [[East Java]], [[Indonesia]]

| education = [[Brawijaya University]], Malang

'''Munir Said Thalib''' (8 December 1965 &ndash; 7 September 2004) was an Indonesian activist. The founderFounder of the Kontras human rights organisation and laureate of the 2000 [[Right Livelihood Award]], Munir was assassinated in 2004 while travelling to [[Utrecht University]] to pursue a Mastermaster's degree in [[international law]] and human rights.<ref name="munirBBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5405952.stm Munir murder conviction quashed] BBC News</ref> He is one of Indonesia's most famous human rights and anti-[[Political corruption|corruption]] activists.

Munir was born in [[Batu, East Java]] into a family of Mixed [[Hadhrami people|Hadhrami]] [[Arabs|Arab]] and [[Javanese people|Javanese]] origins,<ref>Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Tindak Kekerasan, ''Bunuh Munir!: Sebuah Buku Putih'' (2006) ...Munir, atau lengkapnya Munir bin Thalib dibesarkan dalam keluarga muslim keturunan Arab. Kakek moyangnya adalah imigran dari Hadhramaut (Yaman) yang ratusan...</ref> from [[Kathiri]]. He studied law at [[Brawijaya University]] in [[Malang]] in the province of [[East Java]], and later started off his career in 1989 as a [[legal aid]] officer in the East Java provincial capital, [[Surabaya]]. He became one of Indonesia's leading [[human rights]] campaigners<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramadhan|first=Hamzah|title=Munir Museum Brings Human Rights Issues to East Java|url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/blogs/munir-museum-brings-human-rights-issues-to-east-java/|accessdate=31 March 2014|newspaper=Jakarta Globe|date=10 February 2014}}</ref> and faced intimidation, including death threats. He accused the [[Indonesian military]] of human rights violations in [[East Timor]] and in the troubled provinces of [[Papua (Indonesian province)|Papua]] and [[Aceh]], and accused them of running a criminal network involved in [[illegal tree logging]] and [[Psychoactive drug|drug]] smuggling.

He founded the [[Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence]] (KontrasKontraS).<ref name="auto1">{{cite news|last1=Tibke|first1=Patrick|title=Jokowi's Challenge – Part 3: An end to impunity or same old injustices?|url=http://asiancorrespondent.com/126339/jokowis-challenge-part-3-an-end-to-impunity-or-same-old-injustices/|accessdate=6 September 2014|work=Asian Correspondent|date=2 September 2014|archive-date=6 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906133333/http://asiancorrespondent.com/126339/jokowis-challenge-part-3-an-end-to-impunity-or-same-old-injustices/|url-status=dead}}</ref> His last position was executive director of Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (IMPARSIAL), another Indonesian human rights NGO.

Munir was [[Arsenic poisoning|poisoned with arsenic]] on a flight from [[Soekarno Hatta International Airport|Jakarta]] to [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]] on 7 September 2004. He was travelling on state-owned airline [[Garuda Indonesia]] [[Boeing 747-400]]. It was concluded from Munir's autopsy and eyewitnesses during the trial that he had died two hours before arrival in [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Schiphol International Airport]]. He took the [[arsenic]] during his flight transit in Singapore, or sometime near that time. In Singapore, [[Pollycarpus Priyanto]], a Garuda pilot at the time and the prime suspect in Munir's trial, left the flight and then went back to Indonesia. Originally he departed from Indonesia by [[deadheading (aviation)|deadheading]], with a fake document which allowed him to fly on another flight which was not his scheduled flight. Munir began to suffer acute diarrhea and bouts of vomiting shortly after his flight took off from Singapore to Amsterdam. The cabin crew informed the pilot in command that a passenger was sick, and a doctor who happened to be on the plane was asked to provide medical assistance. However, Munir died around two hours before the plane landed at [[Amsterdam's Schiphol airportAirport|Amsterdam]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20040908.@01 |title=Rights campaigner Munir dies on plane |work=The Jakarta Post |date=8 September 2004 |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041116123612/http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20040908.@01 |archivedatearchive-date=16 November 2004}}</ref>

There were three suspects; Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, a former pilot who allegedly gave up his business class seat to Munir during the flight, and two flight attendants. It is alleged that PriyantoPollycarpus placed the [[arsenic]] in Munir's orange juice, upon orders from Garuda's chief executive at that time, Indra Setiawan.

Indonesian president [[Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono]] proclaimed that he will make sure that Munir's killers are brought to justice and quickly convened an independent investigation. However support and resources for the investigation waned, senior officials refused to comply, and the findings were never released.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto2">{{cite news|title=Secretary Kerry's Trip to Indonesia Should Promote Human Rights|url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1439503188|accessdate=7 September 2014|work=Targeted News Service|date=4 October 2013|id={{ProQuest|1439503188}}}}</ref>

In December 2005, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was found guilty of Munir's murder by an Indonesian court and sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment. Munir's supporters claim that PriyantoPollycarpus was acting on orders and that this was not brought out during the court case.

In October 2006, the [[Supreme Court of Indonesia]] [[Void (law)|invalidated]] the conviction against Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, citing insufficient evidence.<ref name="munirBBC" /> However, in April 2007, police presented new evidence to prosecutors implicating PriyantoPollycarpus .<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | title=New Munir evidence handed over | date=15 April 2007 | url =http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20070414.H09&irec=8 | work =Jakarta Post | pages = | accessdate = 15 April 2007 | language = |archiveurlarchive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104951/http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20070414.H09&irec=8 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedatearchive-date = 29 September 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, a Jakarta court found that Garuda was negligent in refusing to perform an emergency landing, and ordered the company to pay 600 million [[Indonesian rupiah|rupiah]] in compensation to Munir's widow. When Garuda appealed this decision, the supreme court increased the compensation to an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite news|title=Judicial Commission tells Garuda to pay|url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/20/judicial-commission-tells-garuda-pay.html|accessdate=6 September 2013|newspaper=Jakarta Post|date=20 February 2011|deadurlurl-status=yesdead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018012805/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/20/judicial-commission-tells-garuda-pay.html|archivedatearchive-date=18 October 2013|df=}}</ref> Garuda then failed to pay the compensation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Court summons Garuda over Munir death compensation|url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/14/court-summons-garuda-over-munir-death-compensation.html|accessdate=6 September 2013|newspaper=Jakarta Post|date=14 June 2011|deadurlurl-status=yesdead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018012944/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/14/court-summons-garuda-over-munir-death-compensation.html|archivedatearchive-date=18 October 2013|df=}}</ref>

Top-level [[State Intelligence Agency (Indonesia)|Indonesian State Intelligence Agency]] (BIN) officials were implicated in Munir's murder. The chief of police at the time, [[Sutanto]], allegedly knew of the BIN involvement. A BIN deputy chairman, [[Muchdi Purwopranjono]], was tried and acquitted for the murder in what has been internationally condemned as a "[[Show trial|sham trial]]".<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto2"/> Prosecutors accused Muchdi of ordering the killing out of anger over Munir’sMunir's criticisms of his [[Kopassus]] leadership.<ref name="auto3">{{cite news|last1=Osman|first1=Nurfika|title=WikiLeaks US Cables Point to BIN Role in Munir Murder|url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/archive/wikileaks-us-cables-point-to-bin-role-in-munir-murder/|accessdate=6 September 2014|work=Jakarta Globe|date=10 September 2011}}</ref> Prior to the murder PriyantoPollycarpus made at least 26 calls to Muchdi, and a number of calls to a confidential BIN line.<ref name="auto1"/>

A [[United States diplomatic cables leak]] alleged that former BIN chief [[A. M. Hendropriyono]] "chaired two meetings at which Munir’sMunir's assassination was planned" and that a witness at those meetings told police that "only the time and method of the murder changed from the plans he heard discussed; original plans were to kill Munir in his office."<ref name="auto3"/> When Hendropriyono was first appointed to the BIN it was bitterly condemned by Munir, who was guiding an investigation into Hendropriyono's role in human rights abuses for a prosecution.<ref name="auto1"/>

Muchdi and Hendropriyono were both summoned for questioning by a presidential fact-finding team, but they refused to comply with the investigation. Recommendations by the team for Hendropriyono’sHendropriyono's prosecution were completely ignored by the police and the attorney general’sgeneral's office.<ref name="auto1"/>

Munir was posthumously awarded the [[Train Foundation]]'s [[Civil Courage Prize]], which recognizes "extraordinary heroes of conscience".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilcourageprize.org/honorees.htm |title=Honorees |author= |year=2010 |website= |publisher=Civil Courage Prize |accessdate=26 May 2011}}</ref>

==NotesReferences==

{{reflist|30em}}

*[http://omahmunir.com/ Munir Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523232708/http://omahmunir.com/ |date=23 May 2018 }}

[[Category:People from MalangBatu, East Java]]

[[Category:Deaths by arsenic poisoning]]