DPR Member Requests Open Trial for Andrie Yunus Case

A member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Tubagus Hasanuddin, has requested that the military trial in the Andrie Yunus case be opened to the public. The aim is for the public to monitor the proceedings of the acid attack case against the Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

“Opened openly and transparently. So that society can provide the best possible contribution to achieve justice in the best possible way,” he said at the PDI Perjuangan Party School Office in South Jakarta on Saturday, 18 April 2026.

Article 65 paragraph (2) of Law No. 34 of 2004 on the TNI states that soldiers are subject to general courts for general criminal acts. However, Law No. 31 of 1997 on Military Justice, which has not yet been revised despite amendments to the TNI Law, is still in effect. According to him, the Military Justice Law is still implemented even though the TNI Law has been revised. “So all actions of soldiers, whether semi-military, military, or civilian, are still handled in military courts,” he said.

This retired Major General TNI suggested that a revision of the Military Justice Law is necessary. TNI soldiers who commit general criminal acts must be processed in general courts. “As long as the law has not been changed, we must adhere to the principle of following military courts,” he said.

The Military Court II-08 Jakarta previously received the case file for the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, which was handed over by the Military Prosecutor II-07 Jakarta. The Head of Military Court II-08 Jakarta, Colonel Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto, claimed that the body he leads meets the requirements for absolute and relative jurisdiction to try this case.

“If it were in a civilian court, it wouldn’t be accepted; it would be wrong, and the legal process wouldn’t proceed. It could be rejected by the district court,” said Fredy during a press conference at Military Court II-08 Jakarta on Thursday, 16 April 2026.

He explained that the four defendants in this trial are Indonesian National Army (TNI) personnel. Therefore, he said, his side has absolute authority to try them.

Meanwhile, for relative jurisdiction, the acid attack case on Andrie on 12 March took place on Jalan Salemba, Central Jakarta. Thus, the locus of the case falls under the relative jurisdiction of the Jakarta Military Court. The same applies to the legal territorial unit.

Furthermore, his side is also authorised to try the four defendants based on their ranks. He mentioned that the four defendants are Captain NDP, First Lieutenant BHW, First Lieutenant SL, and Second Sergeant ES. “Because if they are mid-level officers, it would be at the High Military Court II Jakarta. So I can explain that it falls under the jurisdiction,” he said.

Previously, the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD)—Andrie Yunus’s legal representatives—asked the Head of Military Court 11-07 Jakarta to reject the case file for the acid attack on Andrie from the Military Prosecutor 07-II Jakarta. TAUD stated that the preparation of the case file was not transparent and accountable, thus not fulfilling a sense of justice for the victim.

TAUD representative, Muhammad Isnur, said that Andrie has never received official information regarding the progress of the investigation from the Military Prosecutor or the TNI Military Police Centre or Puspom TNI. “Andrie Yunus himself, as the victim, has expressed his objection to his case being processed in a military court because it becomes a nest of impunity,” said Isnur in a press statement on Thursday, 16 April 2026.

TAUD suspects that the swift transfer of Andrie Yunus’s case to court is an effort by the TNI to protect the intellectual masterminds behind the terror against Andrie, obscure facts, and avoid public pressure. This is because only four perpetrators are being prosecuted. This number is far fewer than TAUD’s findings, which suspect at least 16 field perpetrators involved in the incident.

“This transfer further proves the effort to create impunity for TNI soldiers who commit general criminal acts,” said Isnur.

In addition, Isnur continued, the report submitted by TAUD regarding their investigation findings to the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency or Bareskrim Polri some time ago has now been transferred to Metro Jaya Police. Therefore, TAUD asked the Head of Military Court 11-07 Jakarta to reject and postpone the transfer of Andrie’s case file.

TAUD also requested President Prabowo Subianto to order the Military Prosecutor 07-II Jakarta to return Andrie Yunus’s case file to Metro Jaya Police for continuation of investigation and prosecution in general courts. “The determination of the judicial forum in this case should not solely be based on the perpetrators’ status as soldiers, but on the nature of the act committed and its relation to official military duties,” Isnur emphasised.