An Indonesian military court on Wednesday sentenced four officers to prison terms for their participation in an acid attack on a rights activist who has campaigned against an expanding military role in civilian affairs.
Judge Fredy Ferdian announced the penalties, assigning the harshest sentence of three years to one defendant. A second officer received two and a half years, a third was given two years and a fourth was sentenced to one and a half years. Ferdian said the first and second defendants would additionally be dishonourably discharged from the armed forces. He told the court that the violent act had not been driven by any "chain of command."
The four were found guilty of serious premeditated assault after attacking Andrie Yunus, identified in court as a deputy coordinator at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, also known as KontraS. The assault left Yunus with burns covering about 20% of his body and caused serious damage to his right eye.
Following the verdict, lawyers for the defendants said they would consider an appeal.
Another judge, Zainal, provided further detail on the defendants' military status, saying all four served in the military intelligence unit and held the ranks of captain, first lieutenant and second sergeant. He explained the differences in punishment: the first defendant received the heaviest sentence because he carried out the attack and "provoked" the others to participate; the second defendant was identified as the person who proposed using acid; the third and fourth were described as having "acted passively" by joining the assault.
Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence each defendant to two and a half years in prison.
The chief of the military’s intelligence unit resigned in March, a military spokesperson said at the time, characterising the resignation as taking responsibility for the attack.
In court, judges recounted motives attributed to the defendants. One judge said the officers had acted because they were "offended and outraged" by Yunus, who had interrupted a closed-door parliamentary meeting held in a hotel and attended by military officials. That meeting, which took place last year, dealt with proposed revisions to military law intended to permit a greater number of soldiers to hold civilian posts. The judge also said the defendants were angered by Yunus’ allegation that the military had been the mastermind behind nationwide protests in August of the previous year. The court was told the attack "stemmed from the defendants' own initiative and spontaneity."
The rights group Amnesty International Indonesia issued a statement saying the ruling "brings no justice" to Andrie and "fails to duly consider the involvement of other actors or the chain of command."
At a Wednesday press conference, KontraS member Jane Rosalina criticised the sentences as too lenient and described the trial as a sham aimed at protecting the military's reputation. She said the assault, which she characterised as an "attempted murder," should have been heard in civilian courts rather than a military tribunal.
Contextual note: The court record presented the case and the sentences; defendants’ lawyers indicated potential appeal; military leadership changes and rights group reactions were part of the public response documented in the proceedings.