TNI, Police Tied to 55 Unlawful Deaths, Says Amnesty International Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International Indonesia documented 55 cases of unlawful killings in 2024, involving 55 victims. "The majority of perpetrators were from the police and military," said Usman Hamid, the organization’s Executive Director, in a written statement on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

According to Usman, the persistence of such killings stems from the culture of impunity within the TNI and Police. He urged the government and legislators to reform the judicial system by revising Law No. 31 of 1997 on Military Courts.

He stressed that TNI soldiers involved in criminal acts should face trial in civilian courts rather than military tribunals, which he described as closed to the public and lacking transparency.

Usman added that revising this law is more urgent than the proposed amendments to the TNI Law currently under deliberation in House of Representatives (DPR). He warned that those amendments would revive the military’s dual-function or dwifungsi doctrine, “and expand the TNI’s role in civilian affairs”.

In 2024, Amnesty International Indonesia recorded 10 unlawful killings involving TNI personnel, 29 involving police officers, and three involving both. From January to March 2025, at least nine unlawful killings by TNI personnel were documented.

Unlawful Killings in 2025

One prominent case was the fatal shooting of car rental business owner Ilyas Abdurrahman by Navy personnel in Tangerang on January 2, 2025. Military prosecutors charged three Navy members in connection with his death at KM 45 of the Merak-Tangerang Toll Road. Chief Petty Officer Bambang Apri Atmojo and Petty Officer First Class Akbar Adli face premeditated murder charges under Article 340 in conjunction with Article 55(1) of the Criminal Code. The third, Petty Officer First Class Rafsin Hermawan, is charged with aiding and abetting under Article 56 in conjunction with Article 55(1), facing up to four years in prison.

The second case involved the murder of a woman in South Tangerang. A soldier from the Army’s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), First Private TS, was designated a suspect for killing a mother in a rented house on Bonjol Street, Pondok Aren. Colonel Deki R. Putra, Head of Information for Kodam Jaya, confirmed that Private TS, from the 318th Infantry Battalion of Kostrad, had been absent without leave since January 19, 2025, leading to his eventual capture in the Medang area.

The most recent case was the killing of a car salesman from Gampong Ateun Geulinggang, Dewantara District, North Aceh. The suspect, Seaman Second Class DI of the Indonesian Navy, allegedly shot the victim while attempting to steal a rented Toyota Innova. Major Anggiat Napitupulu, Commander of the Naval Military Police Detachment in Lhokseumawe, promised transparent legal proceedings and the maximum possible punishment for the perpetrator.

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