Anies Says Acid Attack on Andrie Yunus Is Not an Ordinary Crime
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Former Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan considers the acid attack case against activist Andrie Yunus not merely an ordinary criminal act, but an assault on the struggle for democracy.
“And when this incident happened, it’s not an ordinary crime; from the beginning, this wasn’t an ordinary crime,” said Anies when met after the open house for Eid al-Fitr 2026 at his residence in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on Saturday night (21/3/2026).
He assessed that the acid splashing incident has broader dimensions than just an individual criminal act.
Anies also assessed that the attack could not possibly have been carried out spontaneously by one or two people, but was planned and organised.
“And it’s impossible for it to be carried out by just 1-2 people sporadically. And that was also conveyed by Mr Novel; it’s very clear that it was planned and organised,” he stated.
He urged law enforcement authorities to investigate this case thoroughly, including uncovering the parties suspected of being the ones issuing the orders behind the action.
“This incident must be investigated up to the issuers of the orders. And it must be elaborated why there was that order, why there was that command, why there was that task,” he explained.
Regarding the legal process, Anies stated that the public desires transparency in handling this case.
“I think the public wants transparency. They want a process that everyone can monitor. And it shouldn’t repeat like the incidents that often happen. Always, those who get punished are the most downstream perpetrators,” he said.
According to Anies, the most important thing now is to ensure the investigation process runs comprehensively to uncover the intellectual actors behind the incident.
“Yes. And his stance of committing to conducting the investigation must be realised by all law enforcement apparatus,” he concluded.
It was previously reported that Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of KontraS, became a victim of an acid attack by unknown persons on Thursday night (12/3/2026) in the Senen area, Central Jakarta.