Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has condemned the presence of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) at the trial of former Minister of Education, Nadiem Makarim. The human rights organization deemed the presence of military personnel in the courtroom as intimidating to participants.
"The presence of TNI members in the courtroom could make civilian witnesses feel intimidated and disrupt the trial process," said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
Amnesty explains that military personnel in civilian trials violate the Constitution by overstepping the boundary between civilian and defense matters. According to Usman, civilian trials do not fall under the realm of war or conditions requiring military defense.
"Involving the TNI in guarding courtrooms or trials is an excessive policy that is not at all urgent," said Usman. "There is no emergency that necessitates the military's presence in courtrooms."
Amnesty believes that the militarization of civilian spaces damages governance and undermines TNI professionalism. Amnesty is convinced that involving the military in civilian courts pulls the TNI away from its primary duty of maintaining state sovereignty and makes it proficient in areas outside its defense mandate.
Based on this, Amnesty International Indonesia urges the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to stop the TNI's multifunctional practices. They want the military institution to return to its primary duty of safeguarding state's defense. "It is enough for the TNI to guard military court proceedings, without needing to do the same in civilian courts. The military should return to the barracks," said Usman.
Previously, the judge reprimanded TNI personnel during the trial of alleged corruption involving the former Minister. This happened while Nadiem's legal advisors were reading an objection to the indictment. Chief Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah suddenly interjected, "Before we continue, where are these TNI comrades from?" He then requested the three TNI soldiers not to stand in front of the courtroom door.
Head of the TNI Information Center, Brigadier General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, stated that the three personnel were there at the request of the prosecutor's office. This request aimed to protect the prosecutor during law enforcement duties. Aulia justified the assignment by citing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the military and the Attorney General's Office, as well as Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025 concerning state protection for prosecutors.
"The presence of those involved is solely to carry out their duties in accordance with the applicable provisions," said Aulia when contacted on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
The trial on January 5, 2026, included the reading of the indictment against Nadiem Makarim regarding the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Manager. Nadiem's camp responded with an objection note. Nadiem was charged with violating Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 juncto Article 18 of the Law on the Eradication of Corruption juncto Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code.
In the trial, Nadiem was accused of causing state losses amounting to Rp2.1 trillion in the alleged Chromebook corruption case.
– Amelia Rahima Sari contributed to the report.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2078617/amnesty-tni-presence-at-nadiem-makarims-trial-is-intimidatio