Four soldiers from Indonesia's military Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) were found guilty of premeditated assault for an acid attack on 27-year-old rights activist Andrie Yunus, a deputy coordinator of Jakarta-based group KontraS, the military court ruled on June 10, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
The attack took place on March 12, 2026, when Yunus was riding a motorbike in Jakarta. The assault left him blind in one eye and with severe burns to his face and body [1, 2, 3]. Prosecutors said the soldiers acted out of anger over Yunus's activism against increased military involvement in civilian government after a 2025 parliamentary amendment expanded military roles in 14 ministries from 10 previously [1, 2, 3].
Military prosecutors stated the four soldiers did not receive official orders but carried out the attack on their own initiative [1, 2]. The presiding judge, Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto, described the soldiers' conduct as "arrogant" [1]. The soldiers were sentenced to prison terms of 3 years, 2.5 years, 2 years, and 1.5 years respectively, which fall short of the maximum penalty possible for premeditated assault; sources differ on this maximum, citing either 7 or 12 years [2, 3].
Andrie Yunus requested the trial be held in a civilian court but was denied and did not attend due to health issues and distrust of the process [1, 2]. The military intelligence chief, Yudi Abrimantyo, resigned following the attack and trial [1, 2].
United Nations human rights officials condemned the attack. Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called it a "cowardly act of violence," while Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur, described the attack as "horrific" [2].
The court's ruling marks the culmination of the trial, which began in April 2026 in Jakarta's military court [2].
