June 5, 2026 | 12:47 pm
The prosecution hearing for the acid attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus at the Jakarta II-08 Military Court, June 3, 2026. Tempo/Martin Yogi Pardamean
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A coalition of Indonesian civil society organizations has urged the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately revise the country's Military Judiciary Law, arguing that the current system has failed to deliver justice and continues to foster impunity for members of the armed forces.In a statement issued on Thursday, June 4, the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform said recent military court proceedings have highlighted serious shortcomings in Indonesia's military justice system."The military justice system has failed to ensure justice for the Indonesian people," the coalition said.The coalition includes rights groups and advocacy organizations such as Imparsial, Amnesty International Indonesia, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia, Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Central Initiative, Indonesia RISK Centre, and DeJure.The coalition pointed to two recent cases that have drawn public scrutiny.The first involves an acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus, allegedly carried out by members of the Indonesian Military's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS TNI). Military prosecutors have sought prison sentences of two and a half years for the four soldiers standing trial in the case.The coalition also criticized a military court ruling that sentenced Sergeant Riza Pahlivi to 10 months in prison for an assault that resulted in the death of a 15-year-old identified as MHS in Medan in May 2024.Imparsial Executive Director Ardi Manto Adiputra said the outcomes of both cases demonstrated how military trials often fail to provide justice for victims."These cases show that the judicial process remains unfair to victims and continues to reinforce a culture of impunity in Indonesia," Ardi said.The coalition argued that comprehensive reform of the military justice system is urgently needed, saying the current framework allows criminal offenses committed by military personnel to be handled within a system that lacks accountability."If the military justice system remains unchanged, it will continue to weaken Indonesia's broader criminal justice system," said Central Initiative Chair Al Araf.The groups called on the government and lawmakers to revise Law No. 31 of 1997 on Military Courts and ensure that military personnel accused of civilian crimes are tried in civilian courts.They also urged the Constitutional Court to grant a judicial review petition challenging Article 74 of Law No. 3 of 2025, which amended the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law.According to the coalition, Article 74 effectively delays the implementation of Article 65 of the TNI Law, which requires soldiers accused of military offenses to be tried in military courts and those accused of civilian crimes to face civilian courts.Because a new military judiciary law has yet to be enacted, Law No. 31 of 1997 remains in force. As a result, soldiers accused of civilian crimes can still be prosecuted in military courts.Several civil society organizations have also filed a separate judicial review challenging the Military Judiciary Law itself, seeking broader reforms to the military justice system.Read: UN Experts Condemn Military Trial for Andrie Yunus Attack
