Civil Society Coalition Urges Trial of Four TNI Soldiers in General Court for Acid Attack
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A Civil Society Coalition has urged that four suspected perpetrators of an acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus be prosecuted in a general court, not a military tribunal.
“The Civil Society Coalition demands that the four suspects be criminally prosecuted through the general justice system to guarantee its transparency and accountability,” as quoted from an official statement received by Kompas.com on Wednesday (18/3/2026).
The acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) constitutes violence that has wounded democracy and the constitution.
“Bringing this case to a military court is also feared to eliminate the severity and systematic nature of this case. It is not impossible that this case will implicate perpetrators with a higher chain of command as intellectual actors,” the Coalition wrote.
The investigation of this case is hoped not to stop at the four suspected perpetrators who are now said to be the executors of the acid attack.
The Coalition encourages the government to investigate this case up to the intellectual actors who ordered the assault on Andrie.
“For that reason, the Civil Society Coalition demands that this case be thoroughly investigated up to its intellectual actors and not stop at the field perpetrators through a transparent and accountable judicial process in the general justice system,” the Coalition continued.
Previously reported, four Indonesian National Army (TNI) soldiers were involved in the acid attack against the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus.
“This morning I received information that four people suspected of assaulting Andri Yunus,” said the TNI Chief of Staff for Military Police, Major General Yusri Nuryanto, during a press conference at TNI Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The four soldiers have been secured and detained at the Jayakarta Military Police Command. Nevertheless, Yusri has not announced the roles and motives of the acid attack on the activist.
“So we are still delving into the motive,” he emphasised.
The suspects are charged under Article 467 of the Criminal Code regarding planned assault, with a prison sentence of at least four years and a maximum of seven years.
As a result of the attack, Andrie suffered burns on several parts of his body, including his eyes, face, chest, and hands.
Based on the initial diagnosis by the medical team at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, the victim suffered burns to approximately 24 percent of his body.