Imparsial Highlights Various Cases of TNI Violence Against Civilians
Imparsial has compiled a number of incidents of violence against civilians allegedly involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces in recent times. Some of them include the dousing of acid on activist Andrie Yunus, a military truck crashing into a motorbike pillion passenger, and a stray bullet killing a student in Gresik.
Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Adiputra stated that the various incidents of violence occurred due to acts of brutality and negligence by TNI personnel. According to him, the recurring pattern of violence is also caused by the persistence of impunity.
Impunity, he said, occurs in part because prosecutions of TNI soldiers who violate the law are conducted through military courts. However, Ardi noted, that mechanism is often not transparent, lacks accountability, and tends to protect criminal perpetrators.
“Yet Article 65 of the TNI Law mandates that military personnel involved in general criminal offences be tried through general courts,” Ardi said in a written statement on Saturday, 4 April 2026.
According to him, cases of violence against civilians involving TNI members will continue to recur if there are no firm and structured measures. This situation, he said, will lead to a further decline in public trust in the defence institution.
“The state must not allow practices of violence by its own apparatus to continue without justice for the victims,” Ardi stated.
Moreover, he assessed that the series of violence cases by TNI apparatus not only harm civilians as victims. More than that, it creates a sense of insecurity and seeds of fear caused by the behaviour of military personnel in the midst of society.
Yet Ardi stated that armed apparatus, such as the TNI, should protect civilians from threats of danger. “This situation is dangerous for democratic life,” he said.
In the long term, Ardi explained, the prevalence of violence cases by TNI personnel against civilians has the potential to perpetuate a culture of violence. This includes normalising repressive actions by TNI personnel towards society.
Ardi said his organisation urges the state not to allow society to live under the shadow of fear created by the military. “Efforts for transparent law enforcement, elimination of impunity, and comprehensive reform within the TNI are urgent necessities,” Ardi stated.