JAKARTA: Four Indonesian soldiers found guilty of an acid attack that left an activist blind in one eye were sentenced on Wednesday (Jun 10) to up to three years in prison by a military court, with a judge calling their actions “arrogant”.
The four, all members of the military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), were found guilty of premeditated assault for the attack in March that left Andrie Yunus, 27, blind in one eye.
They were arrested shortly after the attack, and BAIS head Yudi Abrimantyo stepped down in what officials said was a “form of responsibility”.
But critics say those who planned the crime have not been identified and likely never will be.
Rights group Amnesty International described the trial as “a blatant whitewash”.
Soldiers Edi Sudarko, 45; Budi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, 43; Nandala Dwi Prasetya, 40; and Sami Lakka, 41, were each sentenced to between one-and-a-half and three years in prison.
Two were dismissed from the military as part of their punishment for what presiding judge Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto described as “arrogant conduct”.
Military prosecutors contended the soldiers did not act on orders but on their own initiative.
They were said to have been angered by Andrie and another activist interrupting a lawmaker’s meeting in 2025 to protest a revision to Indonesia’s armed forces law.
The amendment, passed by parliament last year, made it possible for active-duty military personnel to work in 14 government ministries and state institutions – up from 10 before.
Andrie had just finished recording a podcast on the perceived expanding influence of the military when he was attacked while riding his motorbike in Jakarta.