(London) – The Indonesian Constitutional Court’s ruling requiring reform of the military justice system so that military personnel accused of ordinary crimes can be tried in civilian courts is a major step for justice in Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should immediately revise the 1997 Military Justice Law, which has long prevented civilian prosecutions of members of the armed forces for crimes under the Indonesian criminal code, including for serious human rights violations.

On October 15, 2026, the Constitutional Court’s nine justices unanimously ruled that the Military Justice Law is conditionally unconstitutional under articles 24(1) and 28D(1) of the 1945 Constitution, which guarantee an independent judiciary and equality before the law.…