Four Defendants in Acid Attack Case Were Not on Duty During Andrie's Interruption at Fairmont

Four defendants in the acid attack case against the Deputy External Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus, were not at the Fairmont Hotel during the discussion of the revision to the National Armed Forces (TNI) Bill in March 2025. They are Defendant I Sergeant Two Edi Sudarko, Defendant II First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi, Defendant III Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetyo, and Defendant IV First Lieutenant Sami Lakka. The defendants are members of the Headquarters Detachment (Denma) of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the TNI. The Commander of the Headquarters Detachment (Dandenma) of the TNI’s BAIS, Colonel Inf Heri Haryadi, who was presented as a witness, stated that Denma members were never involved in operational activities outside. “Dandenma, were those four at the Fairmont on duty?” asked the presiding judge Colonel Chk Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto at the Military Court II-08 Jakarta session on Wednesday (6/5). “Yes, they were not,” replied Heri. The judge posed the question to test the prosecutor’s allegation that the defendants were annoyed with Andrie’s behaviour in highlighting militarism issues. One of the incidents mentioned was Andrie’s interruption of a closed DPR meeting with the TNI at the Fairmont Hotel in March 2025. The judge also highlighted that the defendants only became Denma members in November 2025. According to the judge, the motive of annoyance or personal grudge is questionable since the Fairmont meeting interruption occurred 7-8 months earlier. “What business do they have with Andrie Yunus? What business do they have with the TNI Bill? What business do they have with the judicial review application (JR TNI Bill) to the Constitutional Court? What correlation do they have in carrying out (the acid attack)? They’re just Denma soldiers,” said the judge. One of the witnesses presented, Deputy Head of D 31 Pampers Dit B BAIS TNI, Lieutenant Colonel Chk Alwi Hakim Nasution, only quoted the defendants’ admissions that they felt hurt by Andrie. “Permission. Their admission to us was because they felt hurt seeing Andrie Yunus’s actions in forcing entry into the closed meeting (discussion of the TNI Bill at the Fairmont Hotel), so the defendants felt hurt,” said Alwi. “That’s not what I mean. They have no connection to AY [Andrie Yunus]. They didn’t know him initially, only from TV, just like us. They never knew him, only from TV. How come they suddenly carried out such an action? Did you investigate if there was indeed an order?” pressed the judge. “No, Your Honour,” admitted Alwi. “Was it possibly a special operation?” continued the judge. “To our knowledge and as far as we delved, no. The defendants only felt insulted and hurt by Andrie Yunus. Nothing else,” replied Alwi. The judge then sought accountability from Dandenma BAIS TNI Colonel Inf Heri Haryadi, who was also presented as a witness in today’s hearing. “Was there any suspicion about those four gathering?” asked the judge. “Yes. Permission, before 13 March 2025, they were normal because Defendants II, III, and IV had adjacent rooms. Work rooms. Only Defendant I was separated by floor but in the same building. They were routine,” explained Heri. “Was there an order from the Dandenma?” pressed the judge. “Yes, no, Your Honour,” admitted Heri. “You have been sworn in,” interjected the judge as a reminder. “Yes, none,” firmly stated Heri. “Because it’s impossible for three officers and one non-commissioned officer to act on their own. The Dandenma is responsible. How about that?” said the judge. “Yes. Permission, we never ordered, including during commander’s hours or roll calls, we never mentioned external matters. We only discussed internal matters because our activities are quite packed and personnel fulfilment is only about 52 percent. So ..,” explained Heri, who was immediately cut off by the judge. “How many Denma members are there?” asked the judge. “Should be 163, only 84 are filled,” replied Heri. In the acid attack case against KontraS Deputy External Coordinator Andrie Yunus, four TNI soldiers have been charged as defendants. They are Sergeant Two Edi Sudarko, First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi, Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetyo, and First Lieutenant Sami Lakka. The motive, according to the prosecutor, was that the defendants were annoyed with Andrie who successfully interrupted the closed meeting agenda on the revision of the TNI Law held by the DPR at the Fairmont Hotel, South Jakarta, in March 2025. “With that incident, the defendants considered Andrie Yunus to have insulted the TNI institution, even trampling on the TNI institution,” stated the prosecutor when reading the indictment in a previous hearing. The defendants are charged with violating Article 469 paragraph 1 subsidiary to Article 468 paragraph 1 further subsidiary to Article 467 paragraph 1 in conjunction with paragraph 2 in conjunction with Article 20 letter C of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.