Arghea Desafti Hapsari and Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 02/19/2011 1:01 PM
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by national carrier Garuda Indonesia in the murder case of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.
The rejection, issued on Jan. 28, 2010, obligates the airline and other defendants in the case to pay in compensation to Munir’s widow, Suciwati, a sum far higher than the Rp 600 million (US$ 67,800) ruled by a previous court.
“The Supreme Court strengthened an earlier verdict issued by the Central Jakarta District Court. In fact, the [compensation] value is much bigger,” Choirul Anam from the Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (Kasum) said Friday.
He did not disclose the actual amount stated by the Court.
Munir died on board a Garuda flight to Amsterdam in 2004 from arsenic poisoning.
Suciwati filed a civil case two years later against the airlines and its officials, former president director Indra Setiawan, vice president of corporate security Ramelgia Anwar, flight operator support officer Rohainil Aini, pilot Polycarpus Budihari Priyanto and five cabin members of the GA 974 flight.
She requested that Garuda apologize and pay Rp 3.38 billion in compensation. The sum was calculated by taking into account Munir’s salary from 2004 until the age of 65, the cost for Munir’s master’s degree and the educational costs for their children.
Suciwati also demanded that Garuda pay Rp 9 billion in compensation for non-material losses.
In July 2007, the Central Jakarta District Court ruled that Indra and the flight captain Pantun Matondang were negligent for failing to perform an emergency landing when Munir required medical attention.
The judges requested that Garuda, along with the other defendants, pay more than Rp 600 million in compensation. The decision was upheld by the Jakarta High Court in December the same year.
Anam said Suciwati was pleased to hear the news of the Supreme Court ruling.
“The increased [compensation] means that the [Supreme Court justices] agreed with our views,” he added. Criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators in the case have been less successful.
The South Jakarta District Court acquitted former top National Intelligence Agency (BIN) officer Muchdi Purwopranjono, who allegedly played a large role in the murder, of all charges in 2008. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal against the acquittal by activists in 2009.
Representatives from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) visited the Attorney General’s Office earlier this month to request a review of the case.
The decision was upheld by the Jakarta High Court in December the same year.
