Acid Attack on Andrie Yunus Must Be Tried in Civil Court

JAKARTA - Binus University criminal law expert, Ahmad Sofyan, emphasized that the case of water spraying against activist of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus, must be processed through public courts and revealed to the main actors behind it. This is for the sake of justice for the victims and the wider public.

According to Ahmad Sofyan, the principle of the rule of law affirms that every citizen has the same status before the law without exception.

"No one should be above the law. This case must be brought to the general court, not the military court," said Ahmad Sofyan in a public discussion held by the Indonesia Youth Congress (IYC) in a hybrid format in Jakarta, Monday, March 30.

In addition to Ahmad Sofyan, the discussion entitled 'The Rule of Law and Accountability of the Apparatus: Investigating the Water Cannon to Kontras Activists, Civil-Military Justice Reform, the Future of Human Rights and Indonesian Democracy' was attended by a number of speakers, including the Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Muhamad Isnur; Political Social Analyst of State University of Jakarta, Ubedilah Badrun; Political Observer Ray Rangkuti; and Head of the KontraS Impunity Monitoring Division, Jane Rosalina.

Ahmad Sifyan assessed that the incident of watering Andrie Yunus could be categorized as an attempted premeditated murder so that law enforcement officers are obliged to investigate not only the perpetrators on the ground, but also the parties who gave the order.

"The suspected premeditated murder of Andrie Yunus is not only my opinion, but has become the opinion of experts and criminal law experts," said Sofyan.

Ahmad Sofyan also highlighted the importance of reforming the military sector, including through a revision of the National Army Law (TNI), so that there is no immunity in the legal process. According to him, this reform is an important part of strengthening the rule of law and accountability of state institutions in the democratic system.

On that occasion, the political social analyst of the State University of Jakarta, Ubedilah Badrun, highlighted the civil-military relationship from the New Order era to the post-reform era. He assessed that there were symptoms of the strengthening of militarism in the civil space in recent years that could potentially disrupt democracy.

According to Ubedilah, Andrie Yunus and KontraS are an important part of civil society that consistently raises human rights issues and security sector reform. He also said that the attack on Andrie occurred after public advocacy activities, including discussions and podcasts at the YLBHI and LBH Jakarta offices that discussed the issue of remilitarization.

"Public solidarity is needed to ensure that this case is revealed to its roots," said Ubedilah.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Muhamad Isnur, through a zoom meeting, asked the National Police to immediately uncover the case thoroughly. According to Isnur, the disclosure of the case must be in line with President Prabowo Subianto's direction in the recent Mata Najwa interview who asked that the event be dismantled to the main actors.

Isnur also highlighted the increasing pattern of terror, doxing, and intimidation against human rights activists, civil society organizations, and influencers who speak critically. According to him, if these cases are not resolved, the public may doubt the commitment of the Prabowo-Gibran government in guaranteeing the protection of democracy and human rights.

"The case of watering and criminalization of activists should not be normalized. The state must be present because only the state has the authority and resources to uncover it," explained Isnur.

In line with this, the Head of the KontraS Impunity Monitoring Division, Jane Rosalina, emphasized that KontraS together with Andrie Yunus had long voiced their rejection of the TNI bill revision and encouraged security sector reform. Jane also fully supports the National Police to uncover the perpetrators of water spraying not only at the field level, but up to the command structure.

"This is also in line with President Prabowo's statement that the watering case is a form of terrorism that must be thoroughly dismantled," concluded Jane.

This public discussion was attended by students, researchers, and civil society as a space for consolidating ideas to promote the rule of law, civil-military judicial reform, and the protection of human rights defenders in Indonesia.