Military Justice Coalition Argues System Fails to Deliver Justice

A coalition of civil society organizations is demanding an urgent revision of Indonesia's Military Justice Law, citing its failure to ensure justice for the public. The coalition, comprising prominent rights groups like Imparsial, Centra Initiative, and Amnesty International Indonesia, argues that the existing legal framework perpetuates impunity for military personnel.

Their call comes amid ongoing trials in military courts. The coalition points to two specific cases as evidence of the system's shortcomings. In one instance, military prosecutors sought a 2.5-year prison sentence for four TNI members accused of a corrosive acid attack on Andrie Yunus. In another, a military court sentenced Sergeant Riza Pahlivi to 10 months for fatally assaulting a 15-year-old.

"These two cases prove that the judicial process against perpetrators is very unfair to victims and strengthens the practice of impunity in Indonesia," stated Ardi Manto Adiputra, Director of Imparsial. The coalition contends that the military justice system, rather than upholding justice, serves as a tool that allows impunity to persist, potentially damaging Indonesia's overall criminal justice system.

To address these issues, the coalition urges the government and parliament to revise Law Number 31 of 1997 on Military Justice. They also seek a constitutional court review of Article 74 of Law Number 3 of 2025, which they argue hinders the implementation of Article 65 of the TNI Law. Article 65 stipulates that military personnel should be subject to military courts for military crimes and general courts for common crimes, a provision currently stalled by the transitional clause in Article 74.