Pigai: The Judge Determines Whether Andrie Yunus's Trial is Public

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai stated that the government is consistently encouraging the legal process in the planned attempted murder case against activist Andrie Yunus to be conducted transparently. This, he said, aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s statement requesting a thorough investigation of the case. The Ministry of Human Rights, Pigai continued, is urging that the upcoming trial in the military court be held objectively and impartially. “However, whether (the trial) is open to the public or not, that is determined by the judge,” Pigai said when met at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Tuesday, 7 April 2026. He invited the public and mass media to continue monitoring Andrie’s case to ensure that the legal process carried out by the Military Police Centre runs objectively and delivers justice for the victim. Nevertheless, in a meeting with Commission XIII of the DPR, Pigai said the government cannot steer the legal process through mechanisms demanded by the public. The reason, he said, is that as part of the trias politica, the government as the executive branch cannot intervene in the legal process running in the judicial domain. “A true state must not interfere in the judicial process. We must uphold the supremacy and honour of the institution’s dignity,” he stated on Tuesday. Andrie Yunus was doused with corrosive chemical liquid on 12 March while passing through Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta. Medical records indicate that Andrie suffered burns over more than 20 percent of his body due to this attack. Last week, the police handed over the Andrie case legal process to the TNI Military Police Centre. From statements by the TNI Puspom, there are four perpetrators of the dousing who are members of TNI BAIS. They are NDP, SL, BHW, and ES, from the air and sea forces. NDP holds the rank of captain, SL and BHW are first lieutenants, while ES is a second sergeant. On Friday last week, Andrie Yunus wrote a statement rejecting the handling of his case’s legal process through military court mechanisms. The Deputy Coordinator of Kontras rejected if the attackers were tried through military courts. Whoever the perpetrators are, whether civilians or military personnel, they must be tried through general courts. According to him, the legal process through military courts has the potential not to provide justice for the victim. He assessed that military courts often become spaces of impunity for soldiers who commit legal and human rights violations.