Discrepancy in Information from Police and TNI in Andrie Yunus Case
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has highlighted discrepancies in information provided by the police and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in the case of the attack on Andrie Yunus. YLBHI General Chairman Muhammad Isnur stated that these differences in information are feared to hinder a thorough investigation of the case.
“We are concerned that the confusion in information between the police and the TNI will cause the revelation of the case to stop at the level of the executors, not the intellectual authors,” Isnur said via WhatsApp message on Thursday, 19 March 2026.
He believes there is an intellectual author behind the acid splashing against Andrie by soldiers from the TNI’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS). Isnur suspects that this attack is part of a planned murder operation against those deemed to threaten organisational stability.
Andrie Yunus is a member of the fact-finding team in the August 2025 riots fact-finding committee. The team’s findings indicate suspicions of TNI involvement in the incident.
“I also believe that operations like this cannot be carried out without orders from superiors. This is not a rogue operation,” he said.
Therefore, Isnur said, YLBHI and a coalition of civil society groups are urging the government to form a joint fact-finding team involving independent institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to investigate the case.
“For the soldiers suspected of involvement, it is also important to process them through general judicial procedures, not military ones,” he stated.
Similar concerns were voiced by Jane Rosalina, Head of the Impunity Monitoring Division of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).
She said the discrepancy in information between the police and the TNI indicates uncertainty in the legal process and the existing facts. At a press conference last Wednesday, the police released two alleged perpetrators with initials BHC and MAK. The police also mentioned the possibility of more than four perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the TNI’s Pushom also held a press conference. The TNI stated that four of its soldiers were involved in the acid splashing against Andrie. They are NDP, SL, BWH, and ES. The initials differ from those provided by the police.
“The four suspects have been secured at Pushom TNI for further investigation to the prosecution level,” said TNI Pushom Commander Major General Yusri Nuryanto during the press conference at TNI Headquarters on Wednesday.
Due to the discrepancy in information, Jane said Kontras and a coalition of civil society groups are urging verification by independent institutions such as Komnas HAM and a fact-finding team. The aim is to ensure that the investigation or prosecution process yields objective and comprehensive facts, including uncovering the intellectual authors.
“We also urge the police to immediately summon and examine the Head of BAIS, the TNI Chief, and the Defence Minister to ascertain who else was involved in the participation and assistance in the attack on Andrie,” Jane told Tempo on Wednesday.
Andrie Yunus was attacked by unknown individuals while passing through Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta, on Thursday night, 12 March 2025.
The perpetrators attacked the Kontras Deputy Coordinator by splashing corrosive chemical liquid on several parts of his body, from arms, chest, face, to eyes. As a result, Andrie suffered burns over more than 20 percent of his body.