Amnesty Criticises Replacement of TNI BAIS Head: Not Enough, Legal Process Required
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, has issued a sharp criticism of the replacement of the Head of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Yudi Abrimantyo, following the acid attack on the Vice Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus.
Usman emphasised that the job replacement is not sufficient to resolve the legal process in the case.
According to Usman, handing over the position cannot be considered an adequate form of accountability without being followed by a clear legal process.
He alluded to the statement by the Head of the TNI Information Centre (Kapuspen), Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, who described the resignation as a form of accountability.
However, Usman questioned the nature of that accountability.
“If it is legal accountability, will he be brought to the legal process? Will he be suspended from his position? Will he be suspended from his military service so that the legal process can proceed freely?” Usman said when contacted by Kompas.com on Thursday (26/3/2026).
“We must demand that the resignation of the BAIS Head is not enough. It must be followed up with legal accountability from the individual concerned,” he stressed.
Usman emphasised that the public has the right to know what really happened, including allegations of Yudi’s role in the case.
He assessed that it needs to be thoroughly investigated whether there were orders in the acid attack action and the basis behind it.
“I think it is not enough to merely pretend to show a responsible attitude without revealing the truth,” Usman said.
“What really happened behind that incident, behind that resignation,” he added.
In addition, the BAIS head replacement, according to Usman, actually demonstrates the weakness of the legal process within the military environment.
Previously, the TNI stated that the resignation of the BAIS Head had been carried out following the acid attack case against Andrie Yunus.