Why Must the TNI Members Who Threw Acid on Andrie Yunus Be Dragged to the General Court?

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform is urging that the case of the acid attack on Kontras activist Andrie Yunus be thoroughly investigated through the general judicial mechanism, not the military court. In its official statement, the coalition strongly condemned the violent act allegedly carried out by the four TNI members. “The Civil Society Coalition demands that the four suspects be prosecuted criminally through the general judicial system to ensure its transparency and accountability,” said Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Putra, representing the Civil Coalition in his statement on Thursday (19/3/2026). They view the action as a serious violation of human rights and a threat to democracy. “The Civil Society Coalition strongly condemns the brutal acid-throwing act carried out by four TNI members against the human rights defender, Andrie Yunus,” Ardi stated. The coalition also highlighted the possibility of intellectual actors behind the incident. They believe that if handled only through the military court, the potential involvement of other parties in the chain of command may not be uncovered. The coalition regrets the plan to resolve the case through the military court route. They assess that the system often leads to impunity issues and does not fully open up public accountability space. “The Civil Society Coalition is convinced that the systematic elements and command responsibility behind this acid-throwing case against Andrie Yunus are unlikely to be uncovered if resolved through the military court route,” he said. Therefore, they are urging that the legal process be conducted openly through the general criminal court to ensure justice for the victim. In addition, the coalition is calling on the leadership of relevant institutions not to wash their hands of handling this case. They believe that the alleged involvement of members in a series of violent actions indicates the need for command accountability.