M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta — The Commission for
Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is
calling on the police not to distract the
investigation into the murder of human rights
activist Munir by focusing on an autopsy of Munir’s
organs. The police should press forward and
investigate who the principle perpetrator or
intellectual actor of the murder was by
investigating the contents of the phone
conversations between Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto
and Muchdi Purwopranjono.

"The focus of the national police after cooperating
with the FBI should be to investigate in more detail
the question of who the principle perpetrator of
Munir’s murder was through existing communication
channels, both between Pollycarpus and a number of
officials at BIN [the National Intelligence Agency]
and the institution of BIN itself," said Kontras
coordinator Usman Hamid at his office on Jl.
Borobudur in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta on
Tuesday February 6.

According to Hamid, investigating the cause of
Munir’s death is no longer relevant, including
identifying samples of his organs, because this has
already been done. "Although this is the authority
of the national police, it is no longer relevant.
Whether or not there is an autopsy, the national
police are obliged to investigate communication
channels between Pollycarpus and people at BIN", he
explained.

Hamid said he hopes that the police will have the
courage to question Muchdi and officials from BIN
including with regard to the communication channels
that existed between Pollycarpus and BIN officials.
If they do not have the courage, no new evidence
will be uncovered to finally solve Munir’s murder.
"If this is not done, we doubt that the steps being
taken by the national police will discover ’novum’
(new evidence)", he asserted.

As has been reported, some time ago the national
police said they plan to conduct another autopsy of
Munir’s body organs. Prior to this, police will
exhume Munir’s body on the grounds that there was
request for from the FBI. (zal/aba)