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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2004Indonesian human rights activist assassinatedEditor's note—TAPOL is an organization of activists concerned with human rights issues in Indonesia. The group is based in London. TAPOL is deeply shocked to learn that Indonesia’s foremost human rights activist, Munir, died as the result of foul play. The findings of an autopsy by the Dutch Forensic Institute made public today revealed that a lethal dose of arsenic was present in his body. This confirms the fears of many of his colleagues that he was assassinated. Munir, who was 38 years old, died on a flight from Indonesia to The Netherlands on Sept. 7. When he boarded the plane after a stopover in Singapore, he appeared to be in good health but during the flight, he became seriously ill and vomited repeatedly. A doctor on the plane tried to help him in his agony, but he died shortly before the plane arrived at its destination. Munir was a fearless fighter for human rights who took up numerous causes in many parts of Indonesia from Acheh to Papua during the closing years of the Suharto dictatorship. In the dying days of the dictatorship, Munir was instrumental in highlighting the disappearance of dozens of activists, many of whom were recovered thanks to his efforts. This led to the founding of KONTRAS, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence. Several years earlier, Munir took up the issue of workers’ rights in East Java where he lived with his family, and soon became active in the Legal Aid Institute, initially in his native East Java and later at its head office in Jakarta. In 2000, he played a leading role in investigating human rights violations in East Timor in September 1999, shortly after the East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence. On many occasions, Munir fearlessly exposed the role of the powerful Indonesian Armed Forces in acts of repression, incurring their wrath on many occasions. Some senior officers may well have seen Munir as their most dangerous foe. During the many years we have campaigned for human rights, this is the first time, to our knowledge, that an Indonesian human rights activist has been murdered in this way though many others have suffered horrific fates in the course of their work. That this should have occurred several years after the collapse of the Suharto regime makes the tragedy even more chilling. TAPOL wishes to convey its deepest sympathy to Munir’s wife and children for whom this revelation must have come as a terrible shock. TAPOL calls on the Indonesian government to order a thoroughgoing investigation to discover the perpetrator or perpetrators of this wicked crime and for the attorney general, Abdurrahman Saleh, to bring criminal charges against the suspects without delay. Contact TAPOL, 111 Northwood Rd., Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 8HW, UK, or tapol@gn.apc.org. Nov. 11, 2004 |
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