EMBASSY JAKARTA'S NOMINATIONS FOR SECRETARY OF STATE'S

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000403

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR G/IWI FOR ORNA BLUM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN PHUM PREL KPAO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY JAKARTA'S NOMINATIONS FOR SECRETARY OF STATE'S
AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE



1. (U) Embassy Jakarta is pleased to nominate two outstanding
candidates for the Secretary of State's Award for International
Women of Courage. Our two candidates are:

--Suciwati Munir, widow of prominent human rights worker Munir
Thalib and a courageous human rights activist who has turned her
husband's murder case into something much bigger: a campaign to
transform Indonesia itself.

--Siti Musdah Mulia, an active and influential Muslim activist who
has tirelessly campaigned for women's rights in Indonesia.

While we have a slight preference for Siti Musdah Mulia, both are
outstanding and courageous activists who have endured threats to
their safety and have persevered in their struggle for a just
Indonesia. We defer to the Office of the Senior Coordinator for
International Women's Issues (G/IWI) to choose the candidate who
best fits the Secretary's criteria for this award.


2. (U) Detailed Nominations for both candidates follow below.

3. (U) Post is pleased to nominate Suciwati Munir for the
Secretary's Award for International Women of Courage. Suciwati is

SIPDIS
the widow of Munir Thalib, one of Indonesia's leading human rights
activists who was poisoned on a Garuda Airlines flight in 2004.
Suciwati was born in Malang, East Java and was an experienced labor
activist when she met and married Munir, at the time a young human
rights lawyer. She was Munir's strongest supporter in his battle
for human rights. Soon after Munir's death, Suciwati became
convinced that senior Indonesian intelligence officials probably
orchestrated the gruesome killing, and that the Government was
trying to cover-up the involvement of these powerful officials.


4. (U) Since then, Suciwati has conducted a relentless campaign to
force Indonesian authorities to find and convict the perpetrators of
this terrible murder. For Suciwati, this fight goes far beyond
seeking justice for her dead husband: it is about confronting and
defeating the culture of impunity that remains embedded in
Indonesia.; it is about upholding the principle that every citizen
is accountable under the law, regardless of power or position; it is
about forcing Indonesia's leaders to honor their promise to respect
human rights.


5. (U) In her long and often lonely battle for justice, Suciwati has
lobbied domestic and international leaders (including several
Senators and Congressmen),engaged NGOs, written articles and
editorials, appeared on television, staged protests and rallies, and
conducted letter writing campaigns. In addition, Suciwati founded
and heads the Solidarity Network of the Families of Victims of
Violence, an organization dedicated to families of victims whose
cases have yet to be solved or taken seriously by the authorities.
In all her activities she has repeatedly emphasized her messages
about justice and transparency. In waging this campaign, Suciwati
put herself and her two young children at great risk. She and her
family have received numerous death threats warning her to
relinquish her quest, all of which she has ignored, saying "we
(have) chosen to live as human rights activists. If you fear, it
should be for other people, not yourself, if not it only gets in the
way of your intelligence and rationale."


6. (U) In 2005, Suciwati's efforts led the Indonesian government to
form an official fact finding team into the Munir case.
Unfortunately, the team's mandate ended in June, 2005 and its
results were not made public. Shortly thereafter, authorities
arrested and charged Pollycarpus Priyanto, an off-duty Garuda
Airlines employee with killing Munir under orders from Indonesian
intelligence. In 2006, Suciwati faced a terrible setback when an
Indonesian court acquitted Pollycarpus of all charges. Rather than
yield, Suciwati reinvigorated her campaign and traveled to the U.S.
to meet American leaders, placing an international spotlight on
Indonesia's deeply flawed effort to find and convict Munir's
killers. Her U.S. trip included a briefing to the Congressional
Human Rights Caucus and meetings with the UN Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial executions. As a result, President Yudhoyono
instructed the police and attorney general's office to re-open the
Munir murder investigation.


7. (U) Indonesian and international human rights activists admire
Suciwati for her enormous fortitude in the face of tragedy. In 2006,
the American NGO Human Rights First presented Munir (posthumously)
and Suciwati its 2006 Human Rights Award for their unwavering
commitment to human rights. However, these human rights activists
reserve their highest praise for Suciwati's success in turning her
husband's case into a litmus test of Indonesia's ability, under
President Yudhoyono, to face its sometimes gruesome past human
rights record and establish a credible judicial system. Human
rights activists say that Suciwati could have focused her effort
solely on the Munir case; no one would have faulted her for that.
Rather, she turned this case into something much bigger: a crusade
to transform Indonesia itself. In addition, Suciwati has

demonstrated to Indonesians the power of one person to effect change
and challenge the government. As a result, we believe Suciwati
richly deserves the Secretary's Award for International Women of
Courage.


8. (U) Following is more information about the nominee:

Name: Ms. Suciwati Munir

Date of Birth: March 28, 1968

Contact Information: Ms. Suciwati Munir
Perumahan Jaka Mulya, Jalan Pelangi E No. 12, Bekasi Selatan 17146
Telephone: (62) 818 159 146

Embassy point of contact: Sanjay Ramesh, Political Officer,
Political Section, phone (62-21) 3435-97078, fax (62-21) 3435-9916,
email: RameshS@state.gov


9. (U) Post is pleased to nominate Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, for the
Secretary of State's award for International Women of Courage. Dr.

SIPDIS
Mulia is a multi-talented individual who is active in many areas.
She is a professor of Islamic Political Thought, a chief researcher
and senior advisor at the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs,
and a Muslim activist. Born in Bone, South Sulawesi, she is the
author of numerous books, including the recently published
"Reformist Muslimah," and hundreds of articles and research reports.
She is the first woman to obtain a PhD in the field of Islamic
Political Thought from the State Islamic University of Syarif
Hidayatullah, Jakarta (1997),and she was also the first woman to be
appointed as a Research Professor by the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (1999). A prominent Muslim feminist, Dr. Mulia has used
her extensive knowledge of the Quran and Hadiths to advocate for
women's rights in Indonesia.


10. (U) For the past two years, Dr. Mulia has been widely condemned
by conservative Muslim groups and has received numerous death
threats from radical Islamic groups. At the end of 2004, Dr. Mulia
and a team of 11 experts completed a groundbreaking project, the
Counter Legal Draft (CLD),which is a revised draft of Indonesia's
Islamic legal code. The revised version recommends banning polygamy
and allowing inter-faith marriages. Dr. Mulia proposed that the
revised version be immediately considered and ratified by the
parliament. The revised version of the CLD addresses
misinterpretations of several issues, particularly those related to
marriage. In response to disagreements and violent protests against
the CLD, the Minister of Religious Affairs canceled the project,
reporting that it had made the Muslim community "restless."


11. (U) Post justification: Though faced with death threats and
condemnation, Dr. Mulia is one of the most active and influential
Muslim women activists in Indonesia. Her interests include
religion, education, Islamic law, democracy, religious tolerance,
and women's issues. In addition to being a prolific author and a
respected scholar, she is the chairperson of Muslimat Nahdlatul
Ullama (Muslimat NU),focusing on women's issues and education.
Muslimat NU is the largest Islamic social organization in Indonesia,
with over 40 million members. Deeply committed to education, Dr.
Mulia continues to lecture at the State Islamic University of Syarif
Hidayatullah in Jakarta. She is also an active public speaker and
media personality. Her scholarly research is well-respected, and
she is a sought-after expert by her peers.

12. (U) Countering the Minister of Religious Affairs, the National
Commission on Violence against Women indicated that the majority of
Muslim women believe that the draft embraced progressive thought and
placed women in a more powerful position in marriage. The
Commission further posited that the rejection of the draft "denied
citizen rights (to hold different) opinions and the public's right
to discuss new ideas," and said the rejection represented a
"stifling of this discussion, directly putting women at a
disadvantage." Until now, the CDL remains cancelled, ostensibly for
the purpose of maintaining public order.

13. (U) Dr. Mulia continues to educate Indonesian women about their
rights, particularly those concerning marriage and personal status.
She argues that marriage is the right of every individual and that
the CLD would not allow violent, exploitive or forced marriage.
Moreover, the CLD would prohibit child marriage, mutah marriage,
contractual marriage, and polygamy. In addition, under the CLD,
every marriage would be required to be registered.


14. (U) A tireless advocate for women's rights in Indonesia, Dr.
Mulia perseveres in the face of personal risk and danger. She
firmly believes that the CLD would strengthen women's rights and
personal status. It is her hope that if the government supports the
principles of democracy in Indonesia, it will not ignore or attempt
to silence the voices of women and deny their rights.

15. (U) The following is a list of selected publications focusing on
women issues:
"Reformed Muslim Women," Mizan, 2005 (Muslimah Reformis, Perempuan
Pembaharu Keagamaan)
"Women and Politics," Gramedia, 2005 co-authored with Anik Farida

(Wanita dan Politik)
"Islam is Against Poligamy," Gramedia, 2004 (Islam Menggugat
Poligami)
"Portrayal of Women in Islamic Lectures," the Ministry of Religious
Affairs in 1999 (Potret Perempuan dalam Lektur Islam)
"Guidance of Women Preachers," KP-MDI, 2000 (Pedoman Dakwah
Muballighat)
"Gender Equality and Justice in Islam," LKAJ, 1998 (Kesetaraan dan
Keadilan Gender dalam Perspektif Islam)

16. (U) Following is more information about the nominee:
Name: Ms. Siti Musdah Mulia
Date of Birth: March 3, 1959
Contact information: Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, MA.
State Minister's Expert Staff for Religious Organization
Development
Ministry of Religious Affairs
Phone: (62-21) 380-0209, 381-1679 X 218
Cellular: (62) 816-138-1341
Fax: (62-21) 3811436
E-mail: m-mulia@indo.net.id

Embassy point of contact: Scott Bolz, Assistant Cultural Affairs
Officer, Public Affairs Section, phone (62-21) 3435-9522, fax
(62-21) 3435-9949, email: bolzs@state.gov