Activist 98 Appreciates Government Stance on Attack Against KontraS Vice Coordinator

Jakarta — Activist 98 has expressed appreciation for the government’s response to an attack involving caustic soda splashing directed at Andrie Yunus, Vice Coordinator of External Affairs for the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), on 12 March 2026.

“We appreciate the swift response from the Human Rights Minister through to National Police ranks. This firm government stance is vital to demonstrate that the state is present and provides no space for acts of terror against human rights defenders,” said Chairman of PIJAR 98 Sulaiman Haikal in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Sunday.

He further explained that the swift response took the form of a statement by Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai condemning the attack as a thuggish act and urging police to thoroughly investigate the motives behind it.

He also stated that National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo had given special attention to his ranks to pursue the two assailants captured on CCTV.

He noted that Head of the Government Communications Agency Angga Raka Prabowo had stated that the attack on Andrie Yunus cannot be justified, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted in accordance with applicable law.

He expressed hope that both the perpetrators and the intellectual architects behind the attack would be swiftly apprehended to prevent a harmful precedent for Indonesia’s democratic climate.

Earlier, Yunus was splashed with caustic soda whilst riding a motorbike after conducting a podcast recording at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) which discussed the topic of militarism and constitutional review of the Law on the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

YLBHI has described the attack on Andrie Yunus as alleged premeditated murder.