VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #0403/01 0450916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140916Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3284

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