IMM Sumenep: Arrest of TNI Members is Just the First Act, Dragging in the Masterminds Behind the Attack on Andrie Yunus
Waves of condemnation over the acid splashing attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), continue to spread to the regions. The Branch Leadership of the Muhammadiyah Student Association (PC IMM) in Sumenep, along with cross-campus BEM alliances, emphasised that the arrest of field perpetrators from rogue TNI members is merely the initial step.
In a public discussion and declaration titled ‘Solidarity for Andrie Yunus: Alarm on the Death of Democracy, Condemn Barbaric Terror and Intimidation Against Human Rights Activists’, held at the Muhammadiyah Dakwah Building in Sumenep on Wednesday (18/3), the activists demanded a complete investigation down to the intellectual roots.
General Chairman of PC IMM Sumenep Regency, Moh Ridho Ilahi Robbi, assessed the physical attack on Andrie Yunus not as ordinary criminality, but as a form of structural terror to create mass fear (chilling effect).
“We strongly condemn this barbaric act. Andrie Yunus was attacked not for any crime he committed, but for the courage he showed as a human rights defender. The acid splashing on Andrie is a real threat to our democracy, and remaining silent in the face of this is betrayal,” Ridho asserted.
Threat to Civil Space
Ridho highlighted the worrying phenomenon of democratic backsliding increasingly concerning throughout 2025–2026. Data from Amnesty International Indonesia records at least 104 human rights defenders as victims of attacks in the first half of 2025.
For IMM, the pattern of violence targeting activists and media indicates that civil space in Indonesia is in a state of emergency. Ridho reminded that law enforcement should not get trapped in the old scenario of only touching the executors.
“The Andrie Yunus tragedy is the latest link in a chain of repeated violence patterns, from the Novel Baswedan case (former KPK investigator) to terror packages of corpses at national media offices. We see a pattern where the state often only touches the field actors, while the main masterminds remain free to breathe outside air,” he added.
TNI Military Police Centre Transparency
On the other hand, the TNI Military Police Centre (Puspom) moved quickly by detaining four TNI members serving in the Headquarters Detachment of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (Denma BAIS) TNI. The four suspects with initials NDP, SL, BWH, and ES are now languishing in the Pomdam Jaya Detention Centre with super maximum security status.
The TNI Puspom Commander, Major General Yusri Nuryanto, assured that the case handling is being carried out professionally and transparently.
“Puspom TNI will work professionally, and then transparently, so that in those stages we will still invite the media,” Yusri stated at TNI Headquarters, East Jakarta.
While appreciating the TNI Puspom’s steps, IMM Sumenep provided critical notes. They urged collaboration between TNI Puspom, National Police, and the National Human Rights Commission to uncover who gave the orders behind the action.
“We appreciate the quick steps of TNI Puspom in securing the suspects. However, this is only the first act. The real question that has not been answered is: who ordered it? As long as the intellectual brain behind this attack has not stood at the court table, true justice is still far from reality,” Ridho concluded.
Currently, the four TNI personnel are threatened with Article 467 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison. TNI Puspom promises to periodically report developments on motives and autopsy results to the public.
As many as 86 CCTV recordings have been collected and presented in the investigation process. All those recordings are now being analysed to uncover the incident comprehensively.
Civil Society Coalition urges the disclosure of intellectual actors in the acid splashing on Andrie Yunus through general courts. Reject impunity in military courts.
TNI Puspom Commander, Maj Gen Yusri Nuryanto, assured that his side is still delving into the possibility of orders from superiors or motives behind the attack on the activist.
The difference in numbers will be part of the investigators’ deepening to unravel each individual’s involvement in the incident.
He reminded investigators not to rush to conclude the involved parties, whether from civilian circles or certain institutions.
The difference in numbers will be part of the investigators’ deepening to unravel each individual’s involvement in the incident.
The perpetrators of the acid splashing against KontraS activist Andrie Yunus are suspected to involve BAIS TNI members. DPR RI Commission III member Habiburokhman requests that the case administration be carried out meticulously.
Latest news on Andrie Yunus (KontraS): Condition starting to improve after eye surgery and skin grafting at RSCM. Burn wounds corrected 20%, see the full update.
Deputy Chairman of DPR RI Commission I from PKS Faction, Sukamta, responds to developments in the acid splashing case against KontraS activist Andrie Yunus, suspected to involve rogue BAIS TNI members.
TNI Puspom assures it will work professionally and transparently regarding the alleged acid splashing case against KontraS activist Andrie Yunus involving TNI members.