Indonesian Military Court Sentences Defendants in Acid Attack Case

Four members of an Indonesian military intelligence unit received prison sentences on Wednesday for their involvement in an acid attack against a human rights advocate. The sentencing took place at a military court in Jakarta, Indonesia, drawing criticism for the choice of judicial proceedings.

Criticism of Military Court Proceedings

Human rights activists argued that the case should have been tried by civilian judges instead of a military court. They also expressed dissatisfaction with the length of the sentences, which ranged from 18 months to three years. The defendants faced a maximum penalty of 12 years for the March attack on Andrie Yunus, a critic of the Indonesian military.

Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, described the trial as “a blatant whitewash.” He stated that the verdict protected the military’s institutional integrity and prevented scrutiny of the chain of command and others potentially linked to the incident.

The verdict protects the institutional integrity of the military and shields the full chain of command and other actors potentially linked to this incident from scrutiny, said Usman Hamid.

The Attack on Andrie Yunus

Andrie Yunus, aged 27, serves as the deputy coordinator of the rights group Kontras. During the attack, acid was thrown in his face while he was riding his motorbike in Jakarta. The attack resulted in burns covering 24 percent of his body and damage to his right eye.

Despite being hospitalized and undergoing numerous surgeries to save his eye, Andrie objected to the case’s transfer to military prosecutors in April. He refused to testify in the military court proceedings.