JakartaPost/Antara-Apr 13
A proposal by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to involve ad hoc judges in the trial of acid attack victim Andrie Yunus has drawn skepticism from legal experts, while civil society groups welcomed it as reinforcing their demand for the case to be tried in civilian court. One month after the assault on Andrie, a human rights activist from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), on March 12, no one had been brought to justice. The military police arrested four soldiers assigned to the military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) as suspects in the case on March 18 and handed over the case to military prosecutors just last Tuesday, bringing the assault closer toward a military trial despite push from civil groups for a civilian trial. The Vice President made the proposal in a press statement last Thursday. “Direct involvement of professionals with strong track records and integrity as ad hoc judges in a trial of the acid attack against Andrie is crucial to maintain public trust and the dignity of the law,” Gibran said, as quoted by Antara. He added that the move would help “assure the public that justice is being properly upheld”, although he did not specify whether the ad hoc judges should serve in military or civilian court. Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the government would discuss the proposal with the Supreme Court. “It is not impossible that, in certain cases, ad hoc judges could be appointed to handle certain matters. However, this would require discussions between the government and the Supreme Court,” Yusril said on Friday, while affirming the case was likely to proceed in a military court given no civilian suspects. Read more at:
