AMBASSADOR REASSURES MUNIR'S WIDOW SUCIWATI OF USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002680 SIPDIS SIPDIS EAP, EAP/MTS,EAP/MLS, DRL/PHD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS KJUS ID SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR REASSURES MUNIR'S WIDOW SUCIWATI OF USG COMMITMENT REF: A) JAKARTA 163 B) JAKARTA 2111 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron Hume, reasons 1.4 (b) (d)., Reasons 1 .4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Suciwati, wife of murdered human rights activist Munir, called on the Ambassador September 20, expressing appreciation for U.S. support. The Ambassador emphasized to Suciwati how solving this case is of paramount importance to the USG and how we have expressed these views to the GOI at the highest levels. Suciwati's human rights attorneys told the Ambassador that the case review hearings to overturn the acquittal of Munir's alleged murderer have concluded, and that the dossiers have been sent to the Supreme Court for a decision. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In a September 20 call on Ambassador Hume, Suciwati, the widow of murdered human rights activist Munir, told the Ambassador how much she values U.S. support and cooperation in solving this case. She and her human rights attorneys thanked the Ambassador for our assistance and statements, including a statement by Ambassador Hume during his Senate confirmation hearing which was widely publicized in Indonesia. Suciwati said the Munir case is a determining one for democratic reform in Indonesia. She also asked if we could share the results of cell phone data which the FBI had extracted from phones related to the case, which the FBI had turned over to Indonesian National Police (INP). (ref A) Ambassador States Importance of Munir Case -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador Hume responded that her husband's case is getting close attention from the USG and is having a profound impact on the bilateral relationship. The Ambassador said he had raised the issue that same day with the President's office. As for cell phone information, the Ambassador said that because this case in the courts, the USG cannot give out any of the cell phone data that the FBI turned over to the police. He said expectations might be too high regarding the technical ability of the USG to retrieve information from these cell phones. Supreme Court Decision is Crucial -------------- ¶4. (C) Asmara Nababan and Usman Hamid, the two human rights attorneys who headed the Fact Finding team into the September 2004 murder, told the Ambassador that the Jakarta Central Court completed its case review hearings on September ¶19. The dossiers from the court's findings have been turned over to the Supreme Court, which will now consider the Attorney General's request that the acquittal of the alleged murderer, Garuda airlines pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, be overturned based on new evidence. If Pollycarpus is convicted, the court case could immediately proceed to try other new suspects, including Garuda airlines executives also charged in the case and perhaps even current and former officials with the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) who might be implicated, Nababan said (ref B). The Supreme Court could rule in as soon as a month, he said. (Note: National Police Chief Sutanto told the media September 19 that once the case review has been decided, police will continue their investigation, indicating that BIN officials would also be investigated.) HUME