After seven years, no progress seen in pursuit of justice for slain rights activist Munir

MarielGrazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 09/05/2011

TheCommission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said that itcondemned the government for erasing resolution of the murder case of humanrights activist Munir Saib Thalib from its list of priorities.

Munir Saib Thalib

Munir diedof arsenic poisoning on board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam in 2004.

Thecondemnation came during the approach of the seventh anniversary of Munir’smurder, which falls on September 1.

“There havebeen so many dynamics within the Munir case over these seven years. However,over the last three years, the justice agenda has ended in weakening the lawon” Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said on Monday in a press statement to TheJakarta Post.

“TheSupreme Court has freed Muchdi Purwoprandjono and gave Pollycarpus a number ofprison sentence reductions that have been challenged based on accusations ofobscure and vague reasoning,” he added.

PollycarpusBudihari Prijanto, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2008 for thepre-meditated murder of Munir, has been granted remissions every IndependenceDay and Christmas Day since his imprisonment. He recently received a 9 monthsand 5 days remission on Independence Day.

Muchdi, whowas the former deputy chairman of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), was puton trial for Munir’s murder but has been declared innocent.

He furthersaid that it was befitting that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the SupremeCourt, the Attorney General’s Office and the Law and Human Rights Ministry “sittogether and evaluate progress made in this case and ensure that justice isfulfilled”.

“We areconcerned that if President Susilo Bambag Yudhoyono remains quite and lawenforcers mum, the Munir case would be erased from notes on legal processes.Those responsible will be free, physically and politically, meaning that therewould not be any correction on that crime for Indonesia’s law and justice inthe future,” he added.

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Indonesian mayor resists building of church

Christianworshipers have been forced to pray in the open air in a town in Indonesia'sWest Java province after the town's majority Muslim population opposed thebuilding of a church.

Afterlosing all legal battles, including a verdict from country's highest court, themayor says he cannot allow a church to be built on a street with an Islamicname.

Thenational ombudsman has given the mayor two more weeks to implement the supremecourt's decision and let the congregation build its church.

Thestandoff is being seen as a national test case of religious tolerance, withrecent research showing a growing number of Muslims are against the presence ofa church in their neighbourhood.

AlJazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Bogor, in West Java.

UI rector apologizes to the public over honorary doctorate award for Saudi king

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 09/02/2011

Universityof Indonesia rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri apologized to the public for anyinconveniences caused by the university’s honorary doctorate degree awarded toKing Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The university’s gesture sparked widespreadprotests across Indonesia.

“Weapologize if this was regarded as improper and offensive to many parties,”Gumilar said on Friday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Gumilaradmitted that he was aware that the timing of the award was not appropriate.

“I am fullyaware that the timing for the award was not right. We did it not long after thebeheading of Ruyati,” said Gumilar, referring to Indonesian maid Ruyati bintiSatubi, who was convicted two months ago of murdering her employer — a crimeshe allegedly committed in response to being subjected to repeated acts oftorture.

Several NGOssaid the Saudi king did not deserve such an award because the country “neverappreciated the principles of human rights, especially for migrant workers.”

Internationalhuman rights organizations have for years criticized Saudi Arabia for itstreatment of migrant workers. A 2011 Human Rights Watch report notes thatdomestic workers from Indonesia “frequently endure forced confinement, fooddeprivation and severe psychological, physical and sexual abuse”.

There arean estimated 1.5 million Indonesian maids currently in the kingdom, with 23 ondeath row.

Gumilar,however, did not say what actions his management would take next amid mountingpressure from many organizations affiliated with the university, includingprofessors, student associations and alumni who have demanded that the rectortender his resignation.

“Weunderstand the [protest as a] mere difference of opinion. And, in the realm ofdemocracy, as in the campus world, such difference is an asset and is simplynormal,” he said.

He saidthat the university management had studied the selection process for more thanthree years before deciding to award the degree to the King Abdullah.

“It [theaward] has taken long process. But we had not yet presented it due to theking’s health concerns,” he said.

Accordingto Gumilar, the date as well as the venue for the award presentation wasdecided upon by the king himself.

The awardceremony, which took place last week, drew public fury, partially because itwas conducted at the King’s Al-Safa Palace, which was not consistent with thetraditional practice of honorary degrees being presented by the awardinguniversity within their own country.

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