TNI Information Chief on Andrie Yunus Trial Legitimacy: Perpetrators Processed According to Rules

The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Information Chief, Brigadier General Muhammad Nas, has asserted that the legal process against TNI members suspected of involvement in the violence against activist Andrie Yunus is proceeding according to applicable mechanisms, even though the victim has rejected the military tribunal, deeming it illegitimate. Nas stated that the case has now entered the trial phase and the alleged perpetrators are being processed based on legal provisions within the military environment. “The process has entered the trial stage and the alleged perpetrators have been processed according to the applicable provisions,” Nas said at TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (8/6). He stressed that the legal process against the suspected perpetrators is underway and sentences are being handed down in accordance with the rules. “If we talk about Mr Andrie Yunus’s case, it has entered the trial stage. As we have jointly conveyed and witnessed, the alleged perpetrators have been processed and received sentences in accordance with the applicable provisions,” he stated. According to Nas, criticism and input from the public remain necessary in overseeing the institution, but must be delivered with ethical considerations. “As I said earlier, suggestions and criticism are very necessary for improvement, but ethics are also very much needed,” he said. Nas also refuted the notion that the internal TNI legal process constitutes a threat to freedom of expression. “So, I think there is no threat to freedom of expression. I also conveyed that suggestions and criticism are very necessary for improvement, but ethics are also very much needed,” he remarked. He further emphasised that the TNI respects all ongoing legal processes and is ready to coordinate should there be any further action in the case. “Many people asked me yesterday; we respect the applicable legal process. If there is any follow-up action, we are ready to assist in coordinating,” he said.