Indonesian military prosecutors charged four officers on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in an acid attack on an activist known for campaigning against the expanding public role of the armed forces, seeking a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Andrie Yunus, a deputy coordinator with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, a rights group also known as KontraS, suffered burns to 20 per cent of his face and body from acid thrown by assailants on a motorcycle on 12 March.
The attack, which left Mr Yunus permanently scarred and his right eye heavily damaged, drew local and international condemnation.
The four officers were charged under Indonesia’s criminal code with serious premeditated assault, carrying a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, court documents showed.
Mohammad Iswadi, a military prosecutor, said during the hearing at a military court that the four officers from the military’s intelligence unit allegedly attacked Mr Yunus because they felt affronted by his protest last year against legal changes allowing more military officers to be appointed to civilian government posts.
“With the incident, the suspects deemed Andrie Yunus to have insulted and stomped on the military as an institution,” he said, adding the alleged defendants used a mixture of car battery acid and rust remover when they attacked him.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact any of the four officers, or their legal representatives. All four attended the hearing and their titles ranged from captain to second sergeant. In a separate investigation, Indonesia’s top human rights watchdog, Komnas HAM, said there were at least 14 people linked to the attack.
“The attack could lead to fear among civilians to criticise government officials,” it said.
The watchdog said the fact that Mr Yunus’s case is being handled by the military court shows a lack of public participation and could mean the officers will be treated more leniently. It also urged police to investigate the other 10 people allegedly linked to the attack in civilian courts.
Concern about the erosion of democratic values has grown in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, with the military’s involvement in civilian areas and state-run businesses increasing significantly under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, a retired general.
Shortly before the attack, Mr Yunus had recorded a podcast episode on the subject of the military’s expanding powers.
Mr Prabowo said last month that the attack on Mr Yunus was an act of “terrorism”, and pledged a thorough investigation.
