(Some) justice for Munir

An Indonesian airline pilot has been found guilty of murdering human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. This is some justice for Munir - but it is not enough. While the court found that Pollycarpus Priyanto had poisoned Munir with arsenic during a flight to Amsterdam in 2004, and that the killing was politically motivated, it steadfastly avoided the question of who Priyanto was working with. The independent inquiry into Munir's death which recommended laying charges in the first place pointed the finger squarely at Indonesia's intelligence services - and in particular at at former intelligence chief Abdullah Hendropriyono and at one of his deputies, Major General Muchdi Purwopranjono (who is also accused of war crimes in East Timor). But no charges were laid, and the question was never addressed by the court. Instead, it seems that the rule of law in Indonesia has failed, and that it is still a country where the military and security services can kill citizens with impunity and get away with murder...