Andrie Yunus Case Escalates: Allegations of Premeditated Murder to Demands for General Court

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The case of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of KontraS, has entered a new phase with the transfer of the investigation from Polda Metro Jaya to the TNI Military Police Centre (Puspom). The transfer was confirmed by the Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirkrimum) of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Iman Imanuddin, during a hearing at Commission III of the DPR RI on Tuesday (31/1/2026). “We can report to the leadership that the matter has been handed over to Puspom TNI,” Iman stated. In response, 118 academics, activists, social issue advocates, and 148 NGOs signed a petition titled “Justice for Andrie Yunus: The Military Must Submit to the General Court” on Tuesday. Civil society argues that, based on independent investigations and police findings, the acid attack on Andrie Yunus was a structured and systematic premeditated murder attempt. “Therefore, the disclosure of this case must not stop at the field perpetrators alone,” said Ardi during an online press conference on Tuesday. “But it must also hold accountable the masterminds and intellectual actors,” he emphasised. Ardi stressed that the Andrie Yunus case must be tried in the general court. When confirmed by Kompas.com, Ardi explained the meaning of the premeditated murder attempt terminology behind the acid splashing on Andrie Yunus. First, the acid used to splash was highly corrosive, even melting Andrie’s motorbike plastic. He said the acid used on Andrie was different from that splashed on former KPK investigator Novel Baswedan in 2017. “The use of highly corrosive acid was done intentionally, and they were certainly aware it could cause death,” Ardi stated. Second, the splashing attack was directed at the face or head area. With the acid’s severity, it could damage Andrie Yunus’s respiratory tract, potentially leading to death. “So, the attack on Andrie was intended to create a fear effect for other human rights activists,” Ardi added.