JAKARTA: The Jakarta Military Court on Wednesday (June 10) sentenced four soldiers to up to three years in prison for their roles in an acid attack targeting anti-militarism activist Andrie Yunus, and ordered the destruction of evidence despite a recent pretrial ruling ordering that the case be investigated by the police.
The court found four soldiers from the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) guilty of premeditated assault for the March 12 attack that inflicted serious burns on Andrie’s body and blinded his right eye.
Defendants Second Sgt. Edi Sudarko, First Lt. Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, Capt. Nandala Dwi Prasetya and First Lt. Sami Lakka were sentenced to three years, two-and-a-half years, two years and one-and-a-half years in prison, respectively.
The panel of judges held that Edi had incited the other defendants to target Andrie, while Budhi suggested throwing acid at the activist, a member of the rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).
The attack stemmed from the defendants' resentment toward the activist after they watched a video of Andrie interrupting and protesting a closed-door meeting last year of lawmakers deliberating a controversial revision to the TNI Law that expanded military roles in civilian affairs.
The attack, the judges said, was intended to “teach him a lesson and deter him from further insulting the TNI”.
The court ordered dismissal from the military service for Edi and Budhi, but not for the two other soldiers, who acted as accessories in the attack.
Edi’s sentence was slightly more severe than the two and a half years demanded by the military prosecutors, who did not seek dismissal for him.
The panel also ordered the destruction of several pieces of evidence, including a tumbler used to throw the acid and an empty bottle that had contained the substance. Both the defendants and military prosecutors told the bench they would take their time before deciding whether to appeal.
Military prosecutor Lt. Col. Muhammad Iswadi told reporters he regarded the sentence as “fair” and “met the public's sense of justice”, even if it was different from that demanded.
“If we had been able to directly see the condition of the victim, Andrie, we might have sought a heavier sentence than our demand,” he said. “But because we [...] could not observe him firsthand, our demands may not have aligned with public expectations.”
Andrie previously declined to attend hearings despite being summoned by judges. Responding to the ruling, rights groups and Andrie’s lawyers, grouped under the Democracy Advocacy Team (TAUD), criticised the sentences for being too lenient and reflecting a broader problem of impunity within the military.
"Neither the military investigation nor the trial ever genuinely sought to uncover the truth behind the acid attack,” Jane Rosalina of Kontras said. “These proceedings have been nothing but a charade and a formality aimed at protecting the TNI itself.”
She also criticised the court's order to destroy evidence, saying it could undermine efforts to uncover the full truth in the case, particularly after a recent pretrial ruling that granted TAUD’s demand for the Jakarta Police to resume their investigation into the case.
Usman Hamid of Amnesty International Indonesia called the sentences “a betrayal of justice for the victim”, saying the court had disregarded Andrie’s consistent opposition to a military trial.
TAUD renewed its call for a civilian trial, saying it was necessary to uncover all those involved in the attack, including both civilians and soldiers, as well as the mastermind.
“We call on the police to continue their investigation and retrieve the evidence that was previously handed over to the military police, so that it can be used in the civilian justice process,” Usman added. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
