Former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief Muchdi Purwopranjono is alleged to have ordered the 2004 killing of Munir Said Thalib with arsenic.

'We demand 15 years' jail, minus the time he has spent in remand,' prosecutor Sinaga told the South Jakarta district court.

Mr Sinaga said Purwopranjono's long military career, which included a stint as the commander of Indonesia's elite Kopassus special forces, helped to limit the length of the sentence demanded.

Munir was killed as he flew from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Singapore on national airline Garuda.

His widow Suciwati told AFP she was suspicious why prosecutors demanded a lighter sentence for Purwopranjono than Gardua pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto, who got 20 years in jail earlier this year for poisoning Munir.

'They demanded a life sentence for Pollycarpus, who carried out the murder. How can Muchdi, the puppet master, only be facing 15 years?' Mdm Suciwati asked.

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

Munir, who died aged 38, was a prominent critic of military human rights abuses and provided legal council to victims of state violence during former dictator Suharto's 32-year rule.

Prosecutors allege Purwopranjono ordered Munir's murder as revenge after the activist uncovered the kidnapping of 13 activists by special forces under Purwopranjono's command in the late 1990s.

Purwopranjono is the first military officer to go on trial over the murder, which rights activists have long alleged was the work of top brass in BIN.

Former Garuda boss Indra Setiawan was jailed for one year over his role in the murder.

Munir's case has drawn widespread international attention and is seen as a test of how far the Indonesian government has reformed since the 1998 end of former dictator Suharto's regime.

The current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has vowed to bring Munir's killers to justice. -- AFP