Pilot in court for Munir's murder

Pollycarpus Priyanto denies the charges against him

A pilot with the Indonesian national airline Garuda has gone on trial over the murder of a human rights activist.

Munir Said Thalib died last September on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam. A post-mortem showed he had ingested lethal amounts of arsenic.

The pilot, Pollycarpus Priyanto, who was off-duty during the flight, is the first suspect to be charged over Munir's death. He denies all charges.

Two cabin crew have also been arrested but their cases are not yet in court.

An independent investigation into Munir's killing found indications that the state intelligence agency may have been involved, but its former head has denied any wrongdoing.

Laced orange juice

The eight-page indictment, a copy of which has been obtained by the BBC, says Pollycarpus Priyanto planned to kill Munir on the first leg of his journey from Jakarta to Singapore.

The indictment alleges that he arranged for a lethal dose of arsenic to be added to a glass of orange juice which was served to Munir shortly after he boarded the Garuda Indonesia plane.

The prosecution claims that Mr Pollycarpus - a senior pilot with the airline - made sure he was on the same flight as Munir by forging documents which suggested he had a special assignment in Singapore.

Prosecutor Domu Sihite told judges that the pilot even arranged for Munir to be upgraded from economy to business class.

Mr Pollycarpus' lawyer Mohammad Assegaf said the charges against his client were based on "very speculative" assumptions.

Munir was served poisoned orange juice, the indictment says

"What is his interest in taking Munir's life?" Mr Assegaf questioned.

But prosecutor Domu Sihite said Mr Pollycarpus saw Munir as a threat to national security and an "obstacle to the government programmes", and wanted to "have him eliminated".

The trial has now been adjourned until 16 August, when Mr Pollycarpus will be given the chance to respond to the charges against him.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Munir was a highly respected and outspoken human rights advocate who had often criticised the conduct of Indonesian security forces.

An independent investigation into his murder found indications the state intelligence agency may have been involved.

But the recently retired head of the agency, General Hendropriyono, has denied any connection to the killing.

Police inquiries are continuing, but critics say leads are not being pursued as vigorously as they should be.

"I don't believe the government is serious about wanting to find the truth about my husband's murder," Munir's widow, Suciwati, said on Tuesday.

According to the BBC correspondent in Jakarta, Rachel Harvey, the trial of Pollycarpus will be watched closely, to see if the defendant is willing to shed any more light on the murky circumstances surrounding this high-profile murder.