Ms. Hina Jilani, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human  Rights Defenders is due to visit Indonesia on the 5th of June 2007. Her visit comes at a crucial time as investigations into the murder of the prominent human rights activist Munir have been stalled indefinitely. For the most part, the people have been given the impression that there is progress in the investigations but in reality there is hardly any breakthrough. The Attorney General remain silent. The President conveniently refuses to release the report of his self-commissioned "Fact Finding Team". The Police takes cover by saying that the investigations are underway. Thus, the public are left in the lurch.

There was a faint hope that with the investigations of Munir, the practically defunct prosecution system would commence functioning to deliver justice. The case of Munir reveals that the Indonesian justice system is yet to tackle the culture of impunity that it has been nurturing for over thirty years. The built-in system of impunity which has affected institutions, people and the process can be altered if there is a determined effort by the state. The manner that the state is dragging its feet in the case of Munir shows how reluctant the government is to introduce any reform. The expectation of the Asian Human Rights Commission is that the Ms. Jilani, look not only into the cases of Munir and the plight of other human rights defenders in Aceh, Poso, East Timor and Papua, but also to look more specifically into the defective justice system that is incapable of delivering justice to human rights defenders and civilians alike.

Recommending reform in the prosecution system would be the only sure way for human rights defenders to be themselves.