Activist Acid Attack: Whitewash Claims
Military Officers Jailed for Acid Attack on Indonesian Activist; Critics Call Verdict a Whitewash
Key Points
The court set separate sentences by officer: Second Sgt. Edi Sudarko received three years; First Lt. Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono 2.5 years; Capt. Nandala Dwi Prasetya 2 years; and First Lt. Sami Lakka 1.5 years. It also said Sudarko “incit[ed]” the others, Cahyono came with the idea to use acid, while Prasetya and Lakka “acted passively”/participated in the attack. (Two of the acid-throwers were dishonourably discharged.)
Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director Usman Hamid said the verdict was intended to avoid broader scrutiny, warning: “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.” He called it “a blatant whitewash.”
Reporting details of the attack and trial participation: ABC said CCTV showed Yunus dropping his motorcycle and screaming as he clawed at his clothes, with two officers throwing acid as he rode home at night in March. ABC also said Yunus suffered second- and third-degree burns across about a quarter of his body and was still recovering in hospital; a witness-protection agency told the court he was not medically fit to participate, while Yunus’s legal team (TAUD) effectively boycotted the process as a “sham.”
The motive described in court was tied to a specific parliamentary-linked event: judges said Yunus “offended and outraged” them by interrupting a closed-door Parliamentary meeting at a hotel attended by military officials, where revisions to military law were discussed that would allow more soldiers to be appointed to civilian posts.
Critics argued the case may not identify the true masterminds: SCMP reported that critics say those who planned the crime have not been identified and “likely never will be.”
An Indonesian military court sentenced four intelligence officers to prison on June 10 for a sulphuric acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. The attack left Yunus blind in one eye and with second- and third-degree burns across 25% of his body, according to ABC.
The four officers, all from Indonesia's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), received sentences ranging from 18 months to three years. Critics from Amnesty International Indonesia called the verdict a "blatant whitewash" and said the real planners behind the attack may never be identified, Reuters reported.
Acid Thrown at Activist Riding Home at Night
The attack happened in March 2026 as Yunus rode his motorcycle home after dark. CCTV footage showed two men throwing sulphuric acid at him as he passed, according to ABC. Yunus dropped his bike and screamed, clawing at his clothes as the acid burned through them. He has been hospitalized ever since and was too ill to attend his own trial.
Judges said the officers acted after Yunus interrupted a closed-door hotel meeting between military officials and lawmakers. That meeting was about revisions to Indonesian military law — changes that would allow active soldiers to take civilian government posts. The court said the officers were "offended and outraged" by Yunus's interference and planned the attack in response.
Who Got What Sentence and Why
Second Sgt. Edi Sudarko received the harshest sentence: three years. The court said he "incited" the others to carry out the attack. First Lt. Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono got 2.5 years — judges found he came up with the idea to use acid and prepared it. Both were dishonourably discharged from the military.
Capt. Nandala Dwi Prasetya received two years, and First Lt. Sami Lakka got 1.5 years. The court described their roles as more passive — they participated but did not plan the attack. The presiding judge called the assault "premeditated" and a "serious assault" but said it was not ordered through any chain of command, according to Reuters.
Rights Groups Call the Trial a Sham to Protect Commanders
Amnesty International Indonesia's executive director, Usman Hamid, said the ruling was designed to limit damage to the military's reputation. "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," he said. Yunus's legal team, known as TAUD, boycotted the trial entirely and called it a "sham."
Critics argued the case should have been heard by civilian judges, not military ones. The New York Times reported that rights groups have long pushed for military personnel who harm civilians to face civilian courts. The South China Morning Post noted that whoever planned the attack has not been identified and "likely never will be." The head of BAIS stepped down in late March, Reuters reported, though no senior figure has faced charges.
A Verdict That May Silence Future Activists
The sentences — capped at three years for an attack that caused permanent disability — have alarmed human rights advocates. Prosecutors and judges argued the officers did not intend to cause lasting harm, a claim legal experts find hard to accept given that sulphuric acid was the weapon used. Defense lawyers said they would consider an appeal, which could result in even shorter prison terms.
The attack happened as debate over expanding the military's role in civilian government was heating up in Indonesia's parliament. Yunus was one of the voices opposing those changes. With him sidelined in hospital and the trial now closed, activists worry that other critics will think twice before speaking out, according to The New York Times.
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