Munir Trial Verdict

The United States welcomes the December 20 conviction by an Indonesian court of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto for the premeditated murder of noted human rights campaigner Munir, who died of arsenic poisoning while aboard an international airline flight in September 2004. The court sentenced the defendant to 14 years in prison. The defendant's lawyers announced they would appeal the verdict. In the court's ruling, the judges concluded that the defendant acted as part of a larger conspiracy and urged Indonesian authorities to continue their investigation.

We encourage Indonesia's pursuit of justice for the murder of Munir, and we are heartened by the court's call for further investigation into this crime. According to press accounts, the June 2005 confidential report of a special Fact-Finding Team suggests the possibility that other actors may have been involved in the murder. We encourage Indonesia to release publicly the Fact Finding Team's report and to take appropriate law enforcement measures against any persons implicated in the crime.

2005/1205