Expert: Military Legal Process in Acid Attack Case Must Be Respected and Monitored by the Public
Legal practitioner Fransiscus Xaverius Tangkudung has stated that the public must respect the military legal process against the alleged perpetrator of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. He described this as a legally valid step.
According to him, in Indonesia’s legal system, the military court mechanism has a clear legal basis when the legal subject suspected of involvement is an active military member. Therefore, he views the polemic questioning the adjudication forum as potentially obscuring the main substance, namely law enforcement itself.
“If the alleged perpetrator is an active soldier, then military court jurisdiction is not a choice, but a legal provision. This must be understood objectively and not politicised,” Tangkudung said in his official statement on Thursday (2/4).
He added that the main principle in law enforcement is not merely which forum the case is tried in, but how the process runs fairly, transparently, and accountably.
In this context, Tangkudung also reminded various parties not to get trapped in narratives that tend to discredit the military justice system as a whole.
“Please criticise, that is part of democracy. But if it continuously forces this case to be transferred to the general court, when it is legally inappropriate, then it misleads public opinion,” he stressed.
He highlighted a tendency among some parties to seemingly distrust the military legal mechanism, without giving space to the ongoing process.
“Do not let the public be led to unfounded distrust of state legal institutions that leads to instability,” he said.
Tangkudung emphasised that transparency can still be maintained even if the case is handled in the military justice system. He stated that the public has room to monitor the legal process, both through media reporting and societal oversight.
“It is not true that military courts are completely closed. In practice, there are mechanisms that allow the public to still know the developments of the case. So, there is no need for excessive worry,” he explained.
As is known, the acid attack case against Andrie Yunus has drawn public attention due to the alleged involvement of several TNI rogue soldiers. The initial handling of the case was carried out by Polda Metro Jaya, which then conducted investigations and evidence collection.
As the investigation progressed, the case file has been handed over to the relevant authorities in accordance with the applicable legal jurisdiction, considering the status of the alleged perpetrators as active military members. This process is part of the coordination between civilian and military law enforcement to ensure the case handling runs according to regulations.
The handover also marks that the legal process has entered the next stage in the military justice system, which will determine the criminal accountability of the involved parties.
Tangkudung reiterated that what is most important now is to ensure the legal process runs without intervention. He invited all parties to prioritise the presumption of innocence and respect the applicable legal mechanisms.
“Law enforcement must maintain its dignity. Do not let pressure from public opinion damage the system already regulated in the constitution and legislation,” he concluded.
It is known that the TNI Military Police has named four rogue members of Denma Bais TNI as suspects in the acid attack case against Andrie Yunus. This announcement marks a concrete step by the institution in resolving the attack case that has drawn public attention.
TNI Information Centre Head Major General TNI Aulia Dwi Nasrullah stated that the four personnel are now officially suspects and have been immediately detained. The four are Captain NDP, First Lieutenant SL, First Lieutenant BHW, and Second Sergeant ES.
“The four perpetrators have been designated as suspects and have undergone detention at the military detention facility,” said Aulia. (H-3)
Wakil Ketua Komisi III DPR RI Ahmad Sahroni stated that the handover of the acid attack case on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus to the TNI Military Police Centre (Puspom) is in accordance with the rules.
Polda Metro Jaya has officially handed over the acid attack case on Kontras activist Andrie Yunus to the TNI.