Military Court Sentences Four in Acid Attack on Rights Advocate in Indonesia

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a military court sentenced four individuals from an Indonesian military intelligence unit to prison. They were convicted for an acid attack on Andrie Yunus, a human rights advocate. The attack occurred in March, and the defendants received sentences ranging from 18 months to three years. Critics labeled the trial as a ‘blatant whitewash.’

Human rights activists expressed concern over the trial’s handling. They argued the case should have been tried by civilian courts, citing dissatisfaction with the military court’s verdicts. The convicted individuals faced a potential 12-year sentence, but the court’s decision fell short of this maximum penalty.

Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, criticized the trial’s outcome. He asserted that the verdict protected the military’s institutional integrity, avoiding scrutiny of the incident’s broader implications.

“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.

Andrie Yunus, 27, serves as the deputy coordinator of Kontras, a well-known rights organization. During the attack, acid was thrown at him while he rode his motorbike in Jakarta. This resulted in burns covering 24 percent of his body and damage to his right eye.

Following the assault, Mr. Yunus was hospitalized and has undergone multiple surgeries. He objected strongly to the military’s takeover of the prosecution in April and refused to testify during the trial.