TAUD Regrets Judges' View That Andrie Yunus Disrespected Court Proceedings

The panel of judges at Military Court II-08 Jakarta considered that KontraS activist Andrie Yunus had undermined the court’s authority by failing to appear at the trial. The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) responded to this assessment. During a hearing on Wednesday (10/6/2026), the judges stated that Yunus did not reciprocate the panel’s goodwill in wanting to hear his testimony directly to make the trial comprehensive. “It even appeared to have disrespected the lawful process provided by the state. In this matter, the Panel of Judges considers Andrie Yunus’s attitude to have undermined the court’s authority,” the judge said.

TAUD subsequently responded to the judge’s assessment. TAUD stated that Yunus has been undergoing medical treatment since the case was first tried. “When the panel of judges also blames Andrie Yunus for tarnishing the value of the judiciary or not siding with the judiciary, it must be understood together that the panel of judges is increasingly displaying its character that contradicts the values of judicial ethics,” said TAUD member Jane Rosalina at a press conference at the ICW office in Kalibata, South Jakarta. TAUD said Yunus still requires intensive care in hospital. TAUD also highlighted Yunus’s long-standing hope for the trial to be held in a general court.

“Because we can also see Andrie Yunus’s condition, that since this court process began, he has been unable to attend the trial because his medical condition requires intensive care in hospital. And not to mention the issue of Andrie Yunus’s rejection of the military court institution itself,” she said.

TAUD also questioned the court’s consideration that there was no chain of command or military intelligence operation behind the crime. TAUD considers the intellectual actor behind the actions of the four defendants to be still undisclosed. “The question is, why was it then locked to just four people? We suspect that from the beginning, the design was to close this case only to those four individuals. Consequently, this case will not be fully uncovered,” said TAUD member Arif Maulana. “It has not been uncovered up to the chain of command, up to the intellectual actors. So it was indeed designed to fail to reveal the real issue,” TAUD added.

TAUD argued it is impossible for TNI soldiers to stalk and then throw acid without a command. TAUD stated it would follow up on reports against the panel of judges at the Supreme Court (MA) and the Judicial Commission (KY). “The existing reports that have been made will be followed up, and regarding the findings that emerged after today’s verdict, I think those will then be studied and followed up. Because today, the highest authority of judicial power lies with the Supreme Court, and the body authorised to supervise judges, including military judges, is the Judicial Commission,” he said.