Anies on Andrie: Love of Country Above Personal Safety
Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan expressed his admiration for human rights activist Andrie Yunus, who became a victim of a caustic liquid attack. According to Anies, individuals like Andrie are important for advancing democracy in Indonesia.
Anies conveyed this conviction in a letter he wrote to Andrie, which he sent whilst visiting the Kontras (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence) activist at hospital. One of Anies’s colleagues sent a photograph of the letter to journalists.
In his letter, Anies referred to Andrie as a fighter. According to Anies, Andrie’s consistent spirit of struggle for the nation’s welfare can now be felt across the country.
“Brother Andrie, your body may be lying in the HCU ward, but your fighting spirit can reach every corner of the nation,” Anies wrote in the letter.
Anies described Andrie as someone who loves his nation more than his own personal safety. “As long as the Republic has fighters like Andrie Yunus, individuals who love this nation above their own safety, we can remain optimistic that our democracy will continue to stand strong!” read the contents of Anies’s letter to Andrie Yunus.
Anies also prayed for Andrie to recover quickly and resume his advocacy work. The former Education Minister conveyed his message to Andrie’s family as he was unable to meet directly with the still-hospitalised activist.
Andrie Yunus was previously reported to be a victim of a caustic liquid attack by unknown assailants. The attack occurred on Jalan Talang in Central Jakarta on Thursday evening, 12 March 2026, at approximately 23:37 WIB.
According to a chronology provided by Kontras, Andrie was riding his motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I-Talang in Central Jakarta when two perpetrators approached from the opposite direction on Jalan Talang, specifically at Talang Bridge, riding what is believed to be a Honda Beat motorcycle from the 2016-2021 model years.
The perpetrators were two men, acting as driver and passenger respectively. “They have the following characteristics: the first perpetrator was the driver wearing a white-blue combination t-shirt, jeans-like trousers, and a black helmet,” according to Kontras’s observations reported on Friday, 13 March 2026.
The second perpetrator, the rear passenger, wore a face covering or mask resembling a black buff covering half the face, a dark blue t-shirt, and blue trousers rolled up short and appearing to be made of jeans material.
One of the perpetrators then sprayed caustic liquid towards Andrie, hitting parts of his body. Andrie immediately screamed in pain and dropped his motorcycle.
As a result of the incident, Andrie sustained serious injuries across his body, particularly on his right and left hands, face, chest, and eye area. According to examination results, Kontras found no stolen or taken items belonging to the victim, either during the incident or afterwards.
Andrie was immediately taken to the nearest hospital in Jakarta and received emergency medical treatment, particularly to the eye area affected by the liquid. Based on examination results, Andrie sustained burns covering 24 per cent of his body.
The incident occurred shortly after Andrie had completed recording a podcast at the offices of the Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in Menteng, Central Jakarta. The podcast, titled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia,” was completed at approximately 23:00 WIB.
Kontras coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya stated that this action represents an attempt to silence critical voices in society, particularly human rights defenders. Dimas said the incident should receive immediate widespread attention from various parties, including law enforcement agencies and civil society.
He also called on police to investigate the incident. “Law enforcement should immediately conduct an investigation to uncover the perpetrators and the motive behind the attack,” he said in a written statement.
Additionally, he called for the perpetrators to be punished to the fullest extent under the attempted murder charge, as referred to in Article 459 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. “Given that an attempt to spray caustic liquid on a victim can cause serious fatal injuries or even death,” he added.