TAUD Urges Prosecution of Andrie Yunus Case in General Court
The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) has criticised plans to investigate and prosecute the acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus through the military court. According to TAUD, the military court mechanism often serves as a tool for impunity because the process tends to be closed and lacks accountability. “Often the sentences do not satisfy the sense of justice,” TAUD stated in a collective press release sent by KontraS board member Jane Rosalina on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.
TAUD cited the case of a murder committed by Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers against a 13-year-old MAF student in North Sumatra in 2025. In the military court ruling, the TNI soldier was sentenced to only 2 years and 6 months after taking the life of a civilian.
Furthermore, applying the military court to general criminal cases is seen as betraying civilian supremacy, ultimately violating the principle of equality before the law. “The military court, where the perpetrators, investigators, prosecutors, and judges are all part of the military, makes it very difficult to produce fair rulings for victims,” Jane said.
TAUD consists of several non-governmental organisations such as LBH Jakarta, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), LBH Pers, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Imparsial, Amar Law Firms, Trend Asia, and Greenpeace Indonesia. They urge that the prosecution of the perpetrators of the acid attack on KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus be tried in the general court.
TAUD described the attack on the human rights activist as a planned murder attempt by suspects from the military apparatus. This is considered a human rights violation with proven direct harm to the civilian victim. “In accordance with Article 65 of the TNI Law, soldiers who commit general criminal acts should be tried in the general court,” they stated.
Therefore, according to TAUD, there is no sufficient reason to bring this case to the military court. “If not, it means the state indeed wants to maintain impunity and protect the perpetrators and the intellectual actors behind them,” TAUD said.
In a separate statement, TNI Central Military Police Commander Major General Yusri Nuryanto said the attack on Andrie Yunus would be handled in the military court. According to him, this decision is in line with Law No. 3 of 2025 on the TNI.
The regulation states that criminal acts involving TNI members are resolved through the military court. Yusri assured that the case would be handled professionally and transparently. “So far, military trials have always been open, right, and there has never been such a thing as closed trials,” he said during a press conference at TNI Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
Currently, the TNI Central Military Police (Puspom) has detained four members of the TNI Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) suspected of involvement in the attack on Andrie. The four members have been detained at the Jakarta Regional Military Command (Pomdam) Jaya since 18 March 2026.
Previously, Andrie Yunus, who often criticised the TNI Law and the expansion of the military’s role in civilian spaces, was doused with acid while on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta, on Thursday night, 12 March 2026. Andrie was splashed with a dangerous solution by two unidentified individuals. The two rode a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction to Andrie.
The corrosive chemical liquid hit the right side of Andrie’s body, such as his eye, face, chest, and hand. Part of the victim’s clothing also melted due to the acid. Medical examination results showed Andrie suffered serious burns covering 24 percent of his body. Andrie is currently undergoing treatment at the National Central General Hospital Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM).