The Jakarta Post
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsMilitary court slammed for reducing penalties in activist acid attack case
More than a dozen activist groups have condemned the Jakarta military appeals court for reducing the prison sentences and overturning the dismissals of two soldiers involved in an acid attack targeting human rights defender Andrie Yunus.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Set as preferred source
Justice served: Four Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel found guilty of throwing acid at human rights activist Andrie Yunus leave after their verdict hearing at the Jakarta Military Court, on June 10, 2026. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
M
ore than a dozen activist groups have condemned the Jakarta military appeals court for reducing the prison sentences and overturning the dismissals of two soldiers involved in an acid attack targeting human rights defender Andrie Yunus, fueling questions over the impartiality of the months-long military trial.
In a ruling favoring an appeal filed by two soldiers convicted of premeditated assault against Andrie, the Jakarta Military High Court reduced the prison sentences of Second Sgt. Edi Sudarko and First Lt. Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono by six months. Following the ruling, the two soldiers are now serving two-and-a-half years and two years in prison, respectively.
The three-judge panel also annulled the dismissals of Edi and Budhi, who were found guilty of inciting the March 12 attack and coming up with the idea to use acid, respectively, by a lower military court in June. The planned assault left Andrie, an activist from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) who has been vocal in opposing increasing military involvement in civilian affairs in the country, with serious burns on one-fifth of his body and his right eye blinded.
In a statement on Sunday, a coalition of activist groups under the banner of the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform strongly condemned the reduced penalties, arguing that they would only reinforce impunity for human rights violations toward civilians.
The coalition, which also includes Kontras and the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) representing Andrie, also renewed its opposition to the fact that the case was tried within the military judicial system, which it described as “flawed and lacking independence” from the start.
“The problem is not just about the lighter sentences but also on how the military judiciary fails to ensure proper accountability when military personnel commit serious crimes against civilians,” the coalition said.
The groups further called on the Supreme Court and the Judicial Commission to review how the Jakarta High Military Court made the decision.
