Munir: a life time dedication to the raise of Human Rights in Indonesia

On September 7, Indonesia was shocked by the news about the death of its most prominent human right campaigner in the country, Munir. Although there were some reports about an illness in the past, but he was in good condition when he left the country’s capital town, Jakarta, the day before. What could have happened?

Dyah Ayu Wanodyasari
Indonesia - 05/01/2005
  It was still clear on mind of how the thirty-eight-year-old activist vocalized his disagreements toward the New Order’s policies in late 1997, while the others were silenced. Fearless as he was, he managed KONTRAS (Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence), and had done many notable actions in the name of human rights since then.

People began to acknowledge him when he exposed the relation between the military regime and abductions of pro-democracy activists in 1997. Along with the Commission to Investigate Human Rights Violations in East Timor (KPPHAM) in 2000, he then opened up the violations done by Indonesian armed forces during its occupation in the newly independent country. He also openly expressed his concern toward the government decision in putting military operation in the troubled province of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, which cost many, lives.

For his dedications, he was named as the Man of the Year in 1998 by the leading Muslim publication UMMAT while KONTRAS received the prestigious Yap Thiam Hien human rights award. In the next year, he was among one of the 20 young Asian leaders for the millennium by Asia Week. It was not all. The Swedish government then accredited his dedication with the 2000 Right Livelihood Awards, also known as the alternative Nobel Prize.

Ironically, his performance seemed to bring enemies as well as friends. Despite the awards he had gotten, he also brought several terrorizations in. After surviving from some of those threats in the past, including a firebomb at his house, Munir finally died on a flight to the Netherlands, on September 7.

It happened in all of a sudden. He came from Jakarta to undertake postgraduate study on Utrecht University, Amsterdam. When the aircraft was over Hungarian airspace, three hour before reaching his destination, he was found dead after having very serious diarrhea the night before. Later, the Dutch Forensic Institute stated on the autopsy that he died because of arsenic poisoning.

Police, as always, claimed it would not be so easy to find the murderer. One may say, on the other hand, the reason behind the murder itself was quite obvious. It was not the first case when assassination was done to human rights defenders in Indonesia, even if it might be the first that was widely exposed.

Munir’s murder is only one example of the attempts to silence the movement of human rights activists in Indonesia. There have been other patterns, and more issues.

In 1996, two unknown people on his own yard beat to death Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, a journalist,. This journalist who earned Rp 360,000 (USD 38 in the rate of USD 1 = Rp 9,300) a month was known to be very devoted to his profession. Most people suspected it to be the motive of his demise.

On his writings, Udin, as he was known, often revealed more than what people should know. His last article disclosed the corruption within the local government in his region in Central Java, including USD 107,527 bribery from the mayor to President Suharto. As easy as that, police could have begun the investigation from here. It is not sure yet whether the articles are connected with the beaten, as police never broadened the investigation there. Instead, they stopped on a reckless assumption: it was simply a crime caused by love affair. There was no political cause. True or not; we never know. Eight years have passed since then, and the question is still unanswered.

Back in 1993, another homicide happened. Marsinah, a woman worker who led the strike at her factory died after being raped and tormented. Munir himself even helped in uncovering the case. Nine suspects were arrested, but in the Supreme Court, they were freed. It became a public secret that those suspects were simply the victims of the situation. They were tortured in prison during their detention to admit the scenario.

Who did it? No one knows. Munir who was working for the East Java Branch of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) at that time admitted there was too much controversy within the case. There was even intervention from other institution during the process. Trimoelja Soerjadi, the recipient of Yap Thiem Award, said that it was almost impossible to finish such a trial, as some authority was related.

Generally speaking, then, the sequence has not ended. Who killed those activists? They may not be the same persons; they may not be from the same institution; and they may have different reasons. But they all have committed the same crime. They deserve fair dealing as well as other people in the world to live in peace. If police remained unserious, it is not impossible that this might trigger more cases in the future. It would be a slap on Indonesia’s face, the country that will be elected as the leader of the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights in January 2005.

Human rights activists are people who fight for others’ privileges. But, who would protect their own safety? Munir and his organization, KONTRAS, learned that more than 1,300 people in Indonesia are still missing since 1965. They mostly disappeared due to their political difference from the ones in charge. KONTRAS had gathered evidence from those among the missing activists who could return and divulge their stories. Munir who was also the chairman of the Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) never experienced the disappearance himself. Tragically, it was his life, which was taken. And, he can never return to divulge the secret.

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