Amnesty: Military Involvement in Coal Case Undermines Legal Integrity
Amnesty International Indonesia has assessed that the deployment of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to guard the residence of the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Febrie Adriansyah, amid an investigation into alleged coal governance corruption, could potentially undermine the integrity of law enforcement and threaten the principle of civilian supremacy. Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid stated that the military’s involvement in this incident raises serious concerns about the independence of the legal process. “The involvement of the military in law enforcement, as seen in the search of Jampidsus Febrie Adriansyah’s residence, raises serious concerns about the erosion of civilian supremacy, the rule of law, and human rights,” he said in a written statement received by Media Indonesia on Thursday (9/7).
Similar concerns, according to Usman, intensified following the circulation of a video showing individuals in camouflage uniforms carrying long-barrelled weapons arriving at the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters in the early hours. He argued that the incident cannot be viewed merely as friction between law enforcement agencies. “This incident cannot be seen only as friction between law enforcers and security apparatus, but shows how the military can be used as a tool to protect officials suspected of involvement in corruption cases, as well as to intimidate other law enforcement officers,” he said. Amnesty also assessed that the presence of dozens of soldiers at Febrie’s home indicates the military’s encroachment into an area that should be the authority of civilian law enforcement. “This is a violation of the principle of separating the military’s role in defence from the police and prosecutor’s role in law enforcement,” Usman stressed.
Furthermore, Amnesty highlighted the social impact of the alleged coal governance corruption, which is said to have contributed to disruptions in coal supply to several power plants. According to Usman, the power outages occurring in various regions have harmed the public and potentially violate the right to an adequate standard of living, as guaranteed in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ratified by Indonesia. “Given the magnitude of the public loss, law enforcement in this case must proceed transparently, objectively, and free from obstacles and intervention,” he said. Amnesty further questioned the use of Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025 on State Protection for Prosecutors as the basis for deploying soldiers. According to Usman, this could set a precedent for the return of the military’s role in civilian law enforcement. “The military’s presence amidst a police investigation constitutes intimidation and inappropriate intervention. The military has absolutely no jurisdiction to interfere, especially if such actions obstruct the civilian judicial process,” he stated.
He also asserted that the denials issued by the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, and the TNI have not sufficiently answered public questions regarding the deployment of military personnel. “This coal corruption case must be thoroughly investigated, and whoever the perpetrators are must be criminally processed without the shadow of military intervention,” Usman said. In addition to urging a thorough investigation of the corruption case, Amnesty reiterated its call for the government to reduce dependence on coal-based energy and accelerate the development of sustainable energy sources. Previously, several media outlets reported the presence of dozens of soldiers guarding Febrie Adriansyah’s residence in South Jakarta on Wednesday (8/7) evening, coinciding with the investigation into alleged coal governance corruption by the National Police’s Corruption Eradication Corps and the Metro Jaya Police. The Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, and the TNI have denied any link between the security measures and the search attempt. Meanwhile, TNI Headquarters stated that the security was provided at the request of the Attorney General’s Office in accordance with applicable regulations and denied deploying armed personnel to the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters.