Indonesia military officer steps down following acid attack on activist

JAKARTA, March 26 (Reuters) - A senior officer in the Indonesian military has stepped down following an acid attack on an activist known for his opposition ​to the expanded role of the military, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

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% of his face and body from acid thrown by assailants on a motorcycle on March ​12.

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The case drew local and international condemnation. The UN human rights chief Volker Turk ​said the attack was a “cowardly act of violence”.

Military spokesperson Aulia Dwi Nasrullah confirmed ⁠to Reuters that there had been a “handing over of position” by Yudi Abrimantyo, the military’s intelligence ​unit chief, as a form of responsibility for the attack.

Indonesia’s military had previously said it arrested four ​officers, all members of the intelligence unit. If found guilty, punishments range from disciplinary action to dishonourable discharge, Aulia said.

Yudi, who Reuters could not immediately reach for comment, was not among the four.

Concern over the erosion of democratic ​values has grown in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, where the military’s involvement in civilian areas and ​state-run businesses has increased significantly under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, a retired general.

In a roundtable interview ‌last week, ⁠Prabowo said the attack on Andrie was “terrorism,” pledging a thorough investigation and no impunity.

Hundreds of civil society groups in Indonesia, including Amnesty International, have alleged the attack on Andrie was attempted murder. The activist had just recorded a podcast episode on the subject of military expansion before the incident.

​Andrie has been in ​a Jakarta hospital since ⁠the attack and is currently in intensive care following surgery on Wednesday to treat injuries to his right eye, and skin grafts around his ​eye, chest and shoulder areas, KontraS said.

Responding to the handover of position, ​KontraS urged ⁠Prabowo to form an independent team to investigate the case, saying it should be handled by civil courts instead of the military court, echoing a call earlier this week from the Human Rights Watch.

“What happened ⁠to ​Andrie Yunus is a serious crime that occurred in a ​civilian space, outside of the context of the military work as well as state defence operations,” KontraS and other civil ​society groups said in a joint statement.

Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Editing by Kate Mayberry

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