15-year term sought in Munir case

Indonesian prosecutors have requested that an ex-security official serve a 15-year sentence for allegedly ordering the death of a rights activist.

Muchdi Purwopranjono denies charges that he paid a pilot to assassinate prominent campaigner Munir Said Thalib.

Munir died of arsenic poisoning while on a flight to the Netherlands in 2004.

But his widow has accused prosecutors of seeking an unduly lenient sentence in the case, seen as a test of Indonesia's commitment to human rights.

The pilot, Pollycarpus Priyanto, was sentenced to 20 years in jail by Indonesia's supreme court in January.

Indra Setiawan, the former CEO of Garuda Airlines, received a year in jail for being an accessory.

'Ordered murder'

Purwoprandjono, 59, is the retired deputy chief of Indonesia's National Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the first military officer to go on trial in connection with the murder.

"How can Muchdi, the puppet master, only be facing 15 years?"
Suciwati
Munir's widow

Prosecutors have accused him of of abusing his powers and assigning an intelligence agent to poison Munir, an outspoken critic of the country's military.

Prosecutor Cyrus Sinaga told a packed courtroom in south Jakarta that Mr Purwoprandjono had "planned and ordered" Munir's death.

Prosecutors allege the killing was revenge for Munir's exposure of the kidnapping of 13 rights activists by special forces under Purwoprandjono's command in 1997 and 1998, when former President Suharto was in power.

He said prosecutors were seeking a 15-year jail term if Purwoprandjono was found guilty, minus time already spent in custody.

According to the Indonesian legal system, prosecutors request a sentence before judges give the verdict.

'Too lenient'

The maximum possible sentence for premeditated murder is the death penalty, and Munir's widow, Suciwati, said the prosecutors' demand was too lenient.

"They demanded a life sentence for Pollycarpus, who carried out the murder. How can Muchdi, the puppet master, only be facing 15 years?" Suciwati asked, speaking to AFP news agency.

"I suspect there has been hidden dealings over this demand. I hope the judges will act fairly," she said.

The case has drawn widespread international attention and is seen as a test of current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's stated determination to bring Munir's killers to justice

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