Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has criticized the promotion of retired Major General Untung Budiharto, a former member of Tim Mawar (Rose Team) under the Special Forces Command in 1997-1998.
Executive Director of De Jure, Bhatara Ibnu Reza, stated that President Prabowo Subianto is merely handing out awards to his former members who were involved in the pursuit and capture of pro-democracy activists opposed to the New Order regime.
Bhatara stated that this special promotion indicates that the government of Prabowo Subianto does not acknowledge the past wrongdoings of Tim Mawar.
"The award given in the form of an honorary star means that the state has never regretted its actions," Bhatara said during a press conference at the Imparsial office in South Jakarta on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
A lecturer from the Faculty of Law at the University of Trisakti continued that Prabowo's actions could be considered self-amnesty or self-pardon for the perpetrators of the crimes. According to Bhatara, the awarding of a special rank to Budiarto is a dangerous act that threatens democracy.
He believes Indonesia is facing a legal impunity crisis by denying the crimes that the 1998 Military Tribunal admitted. Tim Mawar is known to have kidnapped 22 pro-democracy activists, with 9 of them returning alive, while the whereabouts of the other 13 remain unknown to this day.
In the trial of Military High Court II-08 Jakarta, Untung was one of the Tim Mawar Kopassus members who was sentenced to 20 months in prison. The military court found this team, including Untung Budiharto, guilty of the kidnapping and disappearance of pro-democracy activists.
Bhatara then criticized Prabowo's decision to award the three-star general rank or Honorary Lieutenant General to Untung Budiharto. "The government is violating our common sense to accept things that were once fought for by some of our comrades, who then mysteriously disappeared," Bhatara said.
Prabowo awarded the Bintang Yudha Dharma Pratama and Samkaryanugraha honors to Untung Budiarto and ten other retired Indonesian military (TNI) members on Thursday, October 2.
Prabowo argued that the special rank award recognizes the contributions that soldiers made to the nation and state during their military careers.
According to the head of state, these officers have provided useful contributions, even beyond their call of duty. These officers, Prabowo stated, continue to prove themselves even after retiring from service.
"Always uphold the honor of the nation and state, always prioritize service to the nation and people, never betray the nation and people," Prabowo said on KRI Radjiman Wedyoningrat-992, Thursday, October 2, 2025.
– Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to this article