December 22, 2025 | 06:08 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) says it is continuing its investigation into the killing of prominent human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, more than two decades after his death. The renewed probe has been underway since early 2023.
Komnas HAM Chair Anis Hidayah said the commission has so far questioned dozens of witnesses as part of the investigation.
“There are around 22 people from various backgrounds who have been examined,” Anis told reporters on Monday, December 22, 2025.
She said the commission is now in the final stages of preparing its investigation report, which will be made public once completed.
“We are still finalizing the report, and it will certainly be presented to the public,” Anis said.
As part of the inquiry, Komnas HAM recently questioned retired Major General Muchdi Purwoprandjono, also known as Muchdi Pr., a former deputy chief of Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency (BIN). He was examined at the commission’s office in Central Jakarta on November 21, 2025.
Anis confirmed that Muchdi’s questioning was related to the investigation into Munir’s murder but declined to disclose details.
“Yes, he was questioned, but we cannot reveal the substance of the examination,” she said at the time.
Komnas HAM has formed an ad hoc team to pursue the case, gathering documents and other materials from state institutions as well as civil society groups. The commission has also coordinated with the Attorney General’s Office and the police, while reviewing previous investigation records.
Munir, one of Indonesia’s most outspoken human rights defenders, was poisoned with arsenic aboard a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on September 7, 2004.
He fell ill during the flight and died while the plane was in Romanian airspace. At the time, Munir was traveling to continue his studies at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was later convicted of administering the poison and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Investigators alleged that Pollycarpus acted as part of a wider plot.
Muchdi, who was serving as BIN’s deputy chief at the time, was accused of orchestrating the killing. A fact-finding team established under then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reported telephone contacts between Pollycarpus and Muchdi before and after Munir’s death.
In 2008, prosecutors charged Muchdi as the alleged mastermind behind the murder, accusing him of abusing his authority and conspiring to kill Munir. However, the South Jakarta District Court acquitted him on December 31, 2008, citing insufficient evidence.
Despite the acquittal, the case remains unresolved. Komnas HAM has classified Munir’s killing as a gross human rights violation, citing indications that the crime was systematically planned and involved the misuse of state resources.
The commission says its renewed investigation aims to clarify lingering questions surrounding the case and to fulfill the state’s obligation to ensure accountability for serious human rights abuses.
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