Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that the investigation into the 2004 assassination of renewed human rights activists Munir Said Thalib is very important in order to cleanse the state of evil people who abuse power.
This was conveyed by Hamid in a speech at a protest action titled "A Call for a Mass Solidarity Action 21 Years since the Munir Murder Case #UsutTuntas" (#FullyInvestigate) in front of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) offices in Central Jakarta on Monday September 8.
"This case is very important to cleanse the Indonesian state of evil people, cleanse the State Intelligence Agency of people who abuse power", said Hamid at the location on Monday.
Aside from this, said Hamid, this case must be immediately resolved in order to cleanse the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) of those who abuse power.
"Clean up the TNI, clean up Polri, from people who abuse power, and take refuge behind the power of their institutions", he said.
Hamid asked the Komnas HAM to immediately conduct a proper investigation and summon those suspected of being involved in Munir's murder.
"The people [involved] are already clear, in the Fact Finding Team report, even in reports that have been made by Polri's Bareskrim [Criminal Investigations Directorate]", he said.
Munir was killed on September 7, 2004 on Garuda Indonesia flight GA-974 from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Singapore. He died about two hours before the plane landed at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at 8.10 am local time.
The autopsy results showed the existence of an arsenic compound in the body of the former Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) chairperson. A legal process against people who were considered to have been involved in Munir's murder has already been carried out.
A court sentenced former Garuda Indonesia pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto to 14 years in prison. The court also handed down a sentence of one year in prison to the president director of Garuda Indonesia at the time, Indra Setiawan, who was considered to have assigned Pollycarpus to the same flight as Munir.
A number of facts emerged during the trial such as the alleged involvement of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in the murder. However, there were no BIN officials found guilty by the court.
More recently, Komnas HAM has revealed developments in an investigation on whether or not to declare Munir's murder a gross human rights violations. So far, the ad hoc investigation team examined has 18 witnesses from various backgrounds.
Komnas HAM Chairperson Anis Hidayah said that the ad hoc team was formed based on Komnas HAM Chairperson Decree Number 17/2025 dated March 5, 2025.
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 as an advisor to former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and in August 2025, President Prabowo Subianto awarded him Indonesia's highest civilian honour – the Star of the Republic of Indonesia, First Class.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Amnesty: Kasus Munir Penting untuk Bersihkan Negara dari Penyalahgunaan Kekuasaan".]
