Indonesia military court sentences four officers over acid attack on activist

An Indonesian military court has sentenced four officers over an acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus in Jakarta. The ruling was delivered on Wednesday and follows a March assault that left Yunus with severe burns and loss of sight in one eye. The case has drawn attention because the men convicted were members of the military's Strategic Intelligence Agency, known as BAIS, and because the victim had been critical of the armed forces' growing role in public life.

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The court found the four guilty of serious premeditated assault. One officer received a three-year sentence, another 2.5 years, a third two years and the fourth 1.5 years, according to the judge. The defendants were identified as Edi Sudarko, 45, Budi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, 43, Nandala Dwi Prasetia, 40, and Sami Lakka, 41.

Prosecutors told the court the attack was motivated by anger over Yunus's activism, but said the men were not acting under official orders. Yunus, who is 27 and a deputy coordinator with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, also known as KontraS, was attacked on 12 March while riding a motorbike in the capital. Two men on another motorbike threw acid at him, leaving him blind in one eye and with burns on more than 20 percent of his face and body.

The maximum sentence for the charge used in the case was 12 years in prison, meaning the penalties handed down were well below the upper limit. The ruling is significant because it involves serving military personnel and a politically sensitive attack on a critic of the armed forces. It also comes amid wider concern in Indonesia about rising military influence and democratic backsliding.

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The trial began in April in Jakarta and attracted national and international attention, with the United Nations condemning the attack and describing it as a serious violation of human rights. The case has also highlighted the role of military justice in Indonesia, where allegations involving soldiers are handled inside the military court system rather than civilian courts. Yunus had asked for the trial to be held in a civilian court, but the proceedings went ahead under military jurisdiction.

Following public outrage over the attack, the military agency's chief stepped down, although no reason was made public. What remains unclear is whether the sentences will lead to any wider investigation into how the attack was planned or whether other people were involved. It is also not clear whether Yunus will pursue further legal action after the ruling.

The case is likely to remain under scrutiny because of the victim's continuing recovery, the involvement of military intelligence officers and the broader debate over accountability within Indonesia's armed forces.

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