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| Southeast Asia |
| Pollycarpus Prianti in the news again |
| 2008-01-26 |
| I just love saying this guy's name. IndonesiaÂ’s Supreme Court on Friday sentenced a former pilot for national carrier Garuda to 20 years in jail for the murder of a prominent human rights activist, a court official said. The court overturned its own previous verdict, passed in October 2006, which cleared Pollycarpus Priyanto of a lower courtÂ’s conviction and a 14-year jail term for the murder of rights lawyer Munir Thalib. The case has been regarded as a key test of the governmentÂ’s determination to uphold the rule of law, as well as the accountability of several state agencies, including the spy agency. Munir, an outspoken critic of IndonesiaÂ’s military and its methods in quashing dissent and separatists in hotspots such as Aceh and Papua, died of arsenic poisoning while he was on board a Garuda flight from Singapore to the Netherlands in September 2004. The Supreme CourtÂ’s latest decision came after prosecutors filed a case review, presenting what they said was fresh evidence that Priyanto served Munir with a poison-laced drink while in transit in SingaporeÂ’s Changi Airport. You should try the inflight meal! *rimshot* |
| Posted by:gromky |