Acid Attack on Activist Andrie Yunus: Four Soldiers Sentenced, Two Dismissed

Four Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers have been sentenced to between 1.5 and 3 years in prison for an acid attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus. The verdict was read by a panel of judges led by Colonel Chk Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto at the Military Court II-08 in Jakarta on Wednesday (10/6/2026). The four defendants are Second Sergeant Edi Sudarko, First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi, Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetyo, and First Lieutenant Sami Lakka. The judges declared the four soldiers guilty of carrying out the acid attack on Andrie. The prison terms are as follows: Second Sergeant Edi Sudarko received 3 years; First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi received 2.5 years; Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetyo received 2 years; and First Lieutenant Sami Lakka received 1.5 years. The judges found the defendants guilty of violating Article 467, paragraph 1 in conjunction with paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP). The court determined that the first defendant, Edi, had provoked the other defendants. The second defendant, Budhi, was identified as having conceived the idea of throwing acid, and was also found to be the person who prepared the acid mixture. The judges noted that defendant Nandala, a commissioned officer who should have prevented the incident, instead participated in planning the act. Nandala and Sami were also found to have tracked down Andrie Yunus’s whereabouts. In delivering the sentence, the judge outlined aggravating and mitigating circumstances. There were five principal aggravating aspects, including damage to the TNI’s image and the permanent disability suffered by the victim. On military interest, the court stated that the TNI is a respected institution tasked with safeguarding national sovereignty, requiring professional and law-abiding soldiers, and that military justice must act decisively to uphold the TNI’s honour. The judges declared that the defendants betrayed their noble duty by carrying out an attack that caused severe impairment to the victim’s right eye. The act went viral on social media and garnered negative public attention, severely damaging the TNI’s image and contradicting military interests by undermining synergy and solidarity between the institution and society. Regarding the perpetrator aspect, the judges noted the acid attack was committed deliberately and consciously without regard for the consequences. The incident on Jalan Salemba 1, precisely at the Talang 2 Bridge, was based solely on an overreaction to news circulating on social media. The action was described as a display of arrogance in solving a problem and contradicted the Sapta Marga and Soldier’s Oath. On the consequences of the crime, the court stated the act violated Pancasila values and societal norms, disrupted public order, and left lasting trauma and suffering, with the severe injury to the victim’s right eye causing public dismay. Mitigating factors included the defendants’ honesty in admitting and regretting their actions. Other considerations were that the defendants have families with non-working wives and children, and they had no prior criminal or disciplinary record. The three defendants from the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) and the defendant from the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) also had good service records, including having served on world peace missions in Lebanon and Congo. The defendants also publicly apologised in court to the TNI Commander, the Minister of Defence, the Head of the State Intelligence Agency, all Indonesian citizens, and specifically to the victim. In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the dishonourable discharge from military service for two defendants: Edi Sudarko and Budhi Hariyanto Widhi.