Andrie Yunus Case Sparks Calls for Revision of Military Justice Law

Researcher from the Indonesian Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, Beni Sukardis, believes that the government and DPR need to revisit discussions on revising the Military Justice Law. This step is considered crucial to prevent violence against civilians by TNI soldiers, as occurred in the attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus. According to Beni, preventing violence cannot rely solely on tightening individual discipline. “The push to reactivate discussions on revising the military justice law is an important step to ensure alignment between legal norms and field practices,” Beni told Kompas.com on Wednesday (18/3/2026). He explained that there is still uncertainty in law enforcement. By regulation, soldiers committing general criminal acts should be tried in civilian courts. “However, in practice, there is still a tendency to use the Military Justice Law mechanism, especially because revisions to those regulations have been stagnant for a long time,” he revealed. Beni assessed that this situation could undermine public trust, particularly when cases involve civilians. In addition, he emphasised the importance of applying command responsibility if superiors are proven to be involved or negligent. According to him, internal law enforcement must be carried out firmly and fairly to address public suspicions. “A thorough evaluation and consistent commitment to reform are the main foundations, because without changes in these aspects, various legal and institutional reform efforts risk not running effectively,” he added.