List of Bizarre Statements by Military Judge in the Acid Attack Case Involving Andrie Yunus

Four soldiers, dragged by the TNI’s POM to the military prosecutor as suspects and defendants in the acid attack case against Deputy Coordinator of KontraS Andrie Yunus, are currently on trial at the Jakarta Military Court.

The four defendants, consisting of three officers and one non-commissioned officer—Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetia, Sergeant Edi Sudarko, Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto, and Lieutenant Sami Lakka—are undergoing their first hearing or prosecution at the Jakarta Military Court II-08 on Wednesday (29/4).

The trial has continued up to the present, held mid-week this week. Meanwhile, Andrie’s legal team, part of the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), has rejected the case being handled by the Military Court from the outset, insisting it should be in a district court.

Recently, after observing the trial proceedings, in a statement on Thursday (7/5), TAUD declared that the trial process for the acid attack by four TNI soldiers on Andrie Yunus strengthens evidence that the military justice system is full of theatrics.

This statement was issued by TAUD after the Jakarta Military Court II-08 heard testimony from five internal TNI witnesses during the hearing on Wednesday (6/5).

“The trial process on 6 May 2026 demonstrates proof of our statement that the military court is a judicial process full of theatrics and drama that cannot deliver truth and justice for the victim, brother Andrie Yunus,” said TAUD in a press statement shared by KontraS and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) on Thursday (7/5).

Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, who once served as a constitutional judge and led the Constitutional Court (MK), was astonished by the presiding judge at the Jakarta Military Court.

Clips of the military judge’s statements have gone viral on social media. Many have criticised those statements.

Here is a critical note from several civil society groups on the trial process of the acid terror case against Andrie Yunus at the Jakarta Military Court:

Tumbler

One criticism came from Mahfud, who highlighted the military judge’s question to the defendants about the reason for using a tumbler or drinking bottle to hold the rust and car battery cleaner liquid that was thrown at Andrie.

“Is this a fact of the judge’s actions in the trial? Or is it just AI fabrication? I didn’t watch the trial. If this is truly the judge’s performance in court: Oh Lord, why is our justice system like this?” said Mahfud, quoted from a tweet on his X account, Friday (8/5).

In the trial—clips of which were uploaded by Mahfud—the presiding judge asked the defendants the reason for using a tumbler or drinking bottle to hold the rust and car battery cleaner liquid thrown at Andrie.

“Why choose a tumbler?” asked the presiding judge Colonel Chk Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto in the video recording clip of the acid attack trial.

“If using Aqua [bottled mineral water], for example, why not use Aqua?” the judge asked again.

“There was no Aqua bottle in the mess,” replied the defendant.

The video clip also shows the judge saying, “The opening [of the tumbler] is big, I say ‘how stupid’ to use a tumbler with such a large mouth, of course it will splash,” said the judge.

Called the operation amateurish, alluded to BAIS

Additionally, during the hearing on Wednesday (6/5), the panel of judges opined that the attack operation by these four Denma BAIS soldiers was very amateurish.

The judge even said the attack, which ended up being recorded by CCTV cameras around the crime scene (TKP), was embarrassing to BAIS.

“I’m not an intel person, maybe you friends are the same, these soldiers, seeing it like that, yeah what the PH (legal advisor) said earlier, how amateurish, it makes me annoyed looking at it,” said Military Judge Colonel Chk Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto in the courtroom on Wednesday (6/5).

Called the defendants stupid in carrying out the action

Still in the same line of questioning in the hearing, the judge then asked for the opinion of the BAIS Headquarters Detachment Commander Colonel Inf Heri Haryadi, who was presented as a witness in the previous Wednesday’s hearing.

“If it were us, just give it to someone, no need for training… This is embarrassing to BAIS. In quotes ‘embarrassing to BAIS’. Why is the method so bad, messy. In your opinion, is this how BAIS people work?” asked the judge.

“Yes. Permission, we have no opinion on that matter, but we…,” said Heri, who was immediately interrupted by the judge.

“Personally, this is so stupid,” interjected the judge.

“Yes. Personally, because our daily work in Denma doesn’t deal with external matters, especially like that. We all focus on services, maybe including the defendants who are in services daily,” said Heri.

“Let’s just personal opinion, if I see it like that, I’m not an intel person, not a combat troop,” said the judge.

“Yeah, not that bad. Yeah, we play it nicely first, right, how should it be. ‘Oh, there’s CCTV. Oh, wear a jacket, wear a mask, wear a face covering.’ Why not wear a helmet in the middle of the road, not wear this. Ah, this becomes a joke. Even I, who is not a combat troop, think like that. This is a personal opinion, we can’t opine, this is legal fact,” the judge continued explaining the intent of alluding to that.

Present the victim, if necessary by force

Additionally, the military court panel requested that Andrie Yunus, the victim, be presented as a witness in the acid attack trial with the four TNI soldier defendants. If necessary, continued the judge, present him by force.

Initially, in the prosecution agenda hearing at the Jakarta Military Court on Wednesday (29/4), Andrie Yunus as the victim was not submitted as a witness by the military prosecutor.

In response, the military prosecutor then stated that the TNI Puspom investigators had submitted a summons letter for examination to