Dismissal of Two TNI Soldiers over Andrie Yunus Acid Attack Annulled

2 hours ago 1

September 5, 2026 | 02:36 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Panel of Judges of the Jakarta High Military Court II-06 has accepted the appeal filed by four members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Intelligence Body in the case of splashing acid on activist Andrie Yunus.

The appeal verdict with case number 56-K/PMT-II/BDG/AL/VI/2026 was issued on August 20, 2026. “Formally accepting the appeal filed by the Defendants,” the panel of judges stated in their ruling, as quoted from the Case Tracking System (SIPP) of Jakarta High Military Court II-06 on Friday, September 4, 2026.

In their decision, the panel of judges altered some of the verdicts previously given to the defendants. They are the first defendant, Sergeant Edi Sudarko; the second defendant, First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi; the third defendant, Captain Nandala Dwi Prasetyo; and the fourth defendant, First Lieutenant Sami Lakka.

The panel of judges annulled the additional punishment of dismissal previously imposed by Jakarta High Military Court II-06 on the first defendant, Sergeant Edi Sudarko, and the second defendant, First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi. The additional punishment is outlined in Article 26 of the Military Criminal Code (KUHPM).

“Altering the Verdict of Jakarta High Military Court II-06 Number 70-K/PM II-08/AL/IV/2026 dated June 10, 2026, for Defendants 1 and 2 only regarding their sentences,” the appeal ruling stated.

The panel of judges also upheld the verdict of Jakarta High Military Court II-06 Number 70-K/PM II-08/AL/IV/2026 dated June 10, 2026, for the third and fourth defendants. This means that the verdict against them remains unchanged.

Unlike Edi and Budhi, the panel of judges at Jakarta High Military Court II-06 not only annulled their dismissal from military service but also reduced their prison sentences. Sergeant Edi's sentence was reduced to two years and six months in prison without dismissal, less than the previous sentence of three years in prison and dismissal. First Lieutenant Budhi's sentence was also reduced to two years in prison, from the original two years and six months, with dismissal.

The third defendant, Captain Nandala Dwi, was sentenced to two years in prison. The fourth defendant, First Lieutenant Sami, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.

The four TNI personnel who splashed Andrie Yunus with acid filed an appeal on the day the verdict was announced, on June 10, 2026. “Announcing the appeal since the court's verdict,” said the spokesperson for Jakarta High Military Court II-06, Endah Wulandari, when contacted on Saturday, June 20, 2026.

The panel of judges at that time found the four defendants guilty of violating Article 467 paragraph (1) juncto paragraph (2) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Military Criminal Code juncto Article 20 letter c of the KUHPM as the subsidiary indictment.

TAUD's Response

The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), Andrie Yunus's legal representative, criticized the verdict of this appeal. They considered the verdict ambiguous with regard to the possibility of additional punishment in the form of dismissal from military service. According to TAUD, the verdict alters the primary sentence. However, it does not clarify whether the additional punishment of dismissal is also altered or still valid.

“This ambiguity understandably raises the impression that the dismissal of the defendants Edi Sudarko and Budhi Hariyanto Widhi has been annulled,” they wrote in their official statement on the kontras.org website.

TAUD has noted that the High Military Court continues to use regulations that date back to the New Order era and does not prioritize the perspective of victims. The court's decision is considered not to take into account the losses suffered by Andrie Yunus. “The alteration of Jakarta High Military Court II-08's ruling by Jakarta High Military Court II actually shows a more favorable construction of punishment for the defendants,” they said.

TAUD also questions the competence of judges in the high military court. According to them, in cases involving state actors, the position and capacity of the perpetrators should be considered when determining the severity of the punishment. This is especially concerning since the perpetrators are state officials with intelligence backgrounds and authority. “This issue cannot be separated from the structural problem of the military justice system that is not compatible with modern criminal justice systems,” they noted.

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