TAUD: Appeal Ruling in Andrie Yunus Case Sided Against Victim

The appeal ruling in the acid attack case involving Andrie Yunus has drawn sharp criticism from the Democracy Advocacy Team, which says the decision favors the perpetrators and neglects the victim's rights.

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First, the appeal ruling shows a sentencing pattern that does not side with the victim, instead favoring the perpetrators and ignoring the victim's rights.

Under ruling No. 56-K/PMT-II/BDG/AL/VI/2026, the military appeals court sentenced First Sergeant Edi Sudarko to two years and six months in prison. First Lieutenant Budhi Hariyanto Widhi received a two-year sentence. The court also overturned the additional punishment of dismissal from the military.

TAUD representative Jane Rosalina said the appeal ruling reduced both sentences by six months and removed the dismissal, despite Yunus having rejected a military trial from the beginning. She said the court's reasoning, including the defendants' psychological assessments, clean records, admission of wrongdoing and family circumstances, failed to account for the seriousness of the crime and its effects on Yunus.

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The defendants' special position and capacity should have demanded a higher standard of accountability, not served as a basis for retaining them as soldiers after they committed a serious crime against a civilian.

TAUD also objected to the court's consideration of Yunus's absence from the first-instance proceedings. Rosalina said treating his absence as a factor in reducing the defendants' punishment amounted to victim blaming. She said Yunus missed the proceedings because of his condition after the attack and had to receive treatment in the high-care unit of Jakarta's RSCM hospital.

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The consideration of the victim's absence, and of Andrie Yunus's condition itself, shows a tendency toward victim blaming.