{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1661892,
        "msgid": "military-courts-deemed-potential-courts-of-impunity-1775602303",
        "date": "2026-04-07 18:59:47",
        "title": "Military Courts Deemed Potential Courts of Impunity",
        "author": "Joko Sadewo",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Legal",
        "summary": "Usman Hamid, Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, has criticised military courts for historically shielding the military from accountability and perpetuating impunity, particularly in cases involving general criminal acts by soldiers. During a public discussion organised by Imparsial and FISIP UIN Jakarta, experts emphasised the need for reforming the military justice system to ensure civilian supremacy and equality before the law, advocating for soldiers to be tried in civilian courts as per constitutional mandates. This reform, including revisions to Law No. 31 of 1997, is seen as crucial to addressing ongoing challenges in Indonesia's democratisation process, with specific calls for justice in cases like that of Andrie Yunus.",
        "content": "<p>JAKARTA \u2014 Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid,\nstated that military courts are historically inseparable from the\ncontext of past political power. That mechanism was used to protect\nregime interests and provide privileges for the military.<\/p>\n<p>This was conveyed by Usman during a public discussion titled\n\u201cChallenging Military Accountability: The Need for Transformation from\nMilitary Courts to General Courts\u201d. The event was organised by Imparsial\ntogether with FISIP UIN Jakarta.<\/p>\n<p>The discussion highlighted the resurgence of militarism in civilian\nlife and the weakness of legal accountability for military members. The\nspeakers emphasised that security sector reform, particularly the\ntransformation of the military justice system, is an important\nprerequisite for strengthening civilian supremacy and the quality of\ndemocracy in Indonesia.<\/p>\n<p>According to Usman, in practice, military courts are problematic not\nonly in terms of equality before the law but also in aspects of\nindependence and accountability. This is particularly due to internal\nmechanisms such as the chain of command and rank hierarchy that\ninfluence the legal process.<\/p>\n<p>He assessed that constitutionally, military personnel who commit\ngeneral criminal acts should be subject to general courts, as regulated\nin the Constitution and the TNI Law, but its implementation is still\nhindered by the existence of the outdated Military Justice Law.<\/p>\n<p>As long as general criminal acts involving the military are still\nprocessed through military courts, according to him, it is difficult to\nensure comprehensive disclosure of the truth. Including identifying the\nmost responsible actors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis condition contributes to the strengthening of impunity and\nshows that the democratisation process in Indonesia still faces serious\nchallenges,\u201d said Usman, in a press release issued by Imparsial.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Usman, the speakers agreed that the existence of\nmilitary courts in their current form not only hinders law enforcement\nbut also weakens civilian supremacy and the quality of democracy. Reform\nof military courts, particularly through revisions to Law No.\u00a031 of\n1997, is a crucial step to ensure that all citizens, including the\nmilitary, adhere to the principle of equality before the law.<\/p>\n<p>All speakers in this discussion also assessed that the military must\nbe subject to general courts if involved in general criminal acts. In\nthe case of Andrie Yunus, the state must provide justice for Andrie\nYunus through a process in the general courts.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-courts-deemed-potential-courts-of-impunity-1775602303",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}