Military Judges Allegedly Breach Ethics, Reportedly Instructed on Acid Attack Methods in Andrie Yunus Trial
Three judges from the Military Court II-08 Jakarta were reported by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) to the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Chamber on Monday (18/5/2026). The judges involved are Freddy Ferdian Isnartanto, Irwan Tasri, and Zainal Abidin.
The report was triggered by actions and remarks deemed inappropriate by the judicial panel within the courtroom. One of the most scrutinised incidents involved the judges allegedly providing instructions on the correct method for pouring acid during the trial.
“There were inappropriate words used during the trial, such as ‘goblok’ (stupid), and they also provided information as if teaching the correct way to perform an acid attack,” Daniel, a representative, told journalists at the Supreme Court on Monday.
The judges were also accused of violating procedures by handling pieces of evidence without wearing gloves. Furthermore, the panel is alleged to have breached ethics by pressuring the military prosecutor to forcibly produce Andrie Yunus, even threatening criminal prosecution against Andrie if he failed to testify.
“Most importantly, the judicial panel pressured the military prosecutor to bring the witness or victim, in this case, Andrie Yunus, and the judges also threatened to report him for criminal offences if he did not appear,” Daniel added.
Based on these grounds, Daniel believes these actions prove that the judges are biased towards the perpetrators, who are members of the military. “We feel this constitutes a breach of the code of ethics and judicial conduct guidelines, which prohibit judges from making threats and acting partially,”
Another representative, Guntur, noted that the trial was accompanied by intimidating tones and threats, which they strongly suspect is a violation of the code of ethics and the execution of judicial duties. TAUD has confirmed that they will not stop at reporting to the Supreme Court, as they plan to escalate the report to the Supreme Court’s Supervisory Body and the Judicial Commission.