4 Indonesian soldiers jailed for acid attack on rights defender

Four Indonesian soldiers were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for carrying out an acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus, according to local media reports.

Edi Sudarko was sentenced to three years in prison, Budi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono to 2.5 years, Nandala Dwi Prasetya to two years, and Sami Lakka to 1.5 years, according to Detik online news.

The defendants were found guilty of involvement in the acid attack on Yunus, an activist with KontraS, a Jakarta-based rights group formally known as the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence.

The court cited several aggravating factors, including the defendants' betrayal of their duties, damage to the military's reputation, the deliberate nature of the attack, their "arrogance," and the lasting trauma and suffering inflicted on Yunus, who sustained permanent eye damage.

Yunus was attacked on March 12 after attending a discussion on military involvement in civilian affairs.

He suffered severe burns to his face, chest and arms.

The defendants had faced charges of premeditated assault carrying a maximum prison sentence of seven years.