Death of Young Private Exposes Deep-Rooted Violence in Indonesian Military

JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS — Amnesty International Indonesia has urged an independent investigation into the death of a young Indonesian Army soldier, allegedly tortured for days by his superiors in East Nusa Tenggara, warning the case exposes deep-rooted violence within the military’s training culture.

Private Lucky Chepril Saputra Namo, who had been stationed for less than two months at the newly established Territorial Development Infantry Battalion 834/Waka Nga Mere in Nagekeo, died on 6 August after four days in intensive care.

His family says he was repeatedly beaten by senior soldiers since late July, a claim that military officials have not publicly disputed.

“This tragedy once again reveals the dark face of violence in the military’s training system,” Amnesty’s Executive Director Usman Hamid said in a statement.

“Private Lucky was reportedly subjected to brutal torture by his seniors in a battalion recently inaugurated by the president.”

The commander of the IX/Udayana Military Regional Command, Piek Budyakto, on Monday named 20 suspects in the case, including one officer, but withheld their identities.

Amnesty says the investigation must be led by a civilian body, not the military, to ensure fairness and transparency, and should examine possible command responsibility within the battalion.

The group also demanded the suspects face trial in civilian courts, citing a pattern of light sentences in military tribunals due to rank privilege, entrenched violent culture, and political interests. Amnesty called on the government and parliament to fast-track reforms to the military justice system by amending the 1997 Military Court Law, which still allows soldiers accused of common crimes to be tried exclusively in military courts.

The victim’s mother told reporters her son had confided to her about the abuse just hours before he died, but the battalion leadership never informed the family of his critical condition. His older brother alleged attempts to silence the family, including demands for the victim’s phone and pressure on their father, an active army sergeant major, to drop the case.

Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Wahyu Yudhayana said Lucky was injured during a soldier training activity and that other participants in separate sessions were unharmed. He did not name the other alleged victims.

Amnesty also condemned reports of intimidation against Lucky’s relatives, calling for authorities to grant them full access to information about his death. “No effort should be made to cover up the facts,” Usman said.

Under both international and Indonesian law, torture is prohibited in all circumstances. Indonesia’s Constitution, its Human Rights Law, and the UN Convention Against Torture — which the country ratified in 1998 — affirm that no one may be subjected to such treatment for any reason. (Uki Ruknuddin)