KontraS: Form Independent Team to Investigate Andrie Yunus Case

The Federation of Commissions for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) has emphasised the importance of forming an independent fact-finding team to uncover the acid attack case against human rights activist Andrie Yunus. KontraS General Secretary Andy Irfan Junaedi stated that nearly two weeks have passed since the acid-throwing incident, yet there has been no significant progress in the investigation.

Andy highlighted the inconsistencies in information regarding the suspects’ identities and the sequence of events as reported by the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) headquarters and the Indonesian National Police (Polri). “This indicates that we should question the credibility and accountability of both the TNI and the police,” Andy said during an online discussion on Wednesday evening, 25 March 2026.

Without an independent team, Andy doubts that the public can obtain authentic facts in the Andrie Yunus case. He is sceptical that the full case construction or the scope of responsibility of the perpetrators can be revealed.

For Andy, the required fact-finding team to uncover the attack on Andrie Yunus must be free from power influences. “It works impartially and represents parties that, in terms of capacity and ability, have the credibility to work within the framework of scientific investigation, or investigation based on modern knowledge,” Andy stated.

According to Andy, the state is not enough to merely arrest the attackers. The state must delve deeper into the motives behind this incident and capture the main masterminds who orchestrated and are responsible for the criminal act.

Andy said that in cases of attacks on pro-democracy activists, the legal process ends with the field perpetrators. “And then the field perpetrators usually, this is ‘usually’, usually claim that their actions were independent, driven by a certain political belief or a certain patriotic spirit,” Andy explained.

However, in Andrie’s case, it was revealed that the TNI version of the attacker is a member of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) unit.

“Certainly they are under TNI control. That means, it should not be the TNI that examines this case,” he said. “It becomes unfair when the examination of this case is conducted by an institution whose credibility we doubt,” Andy added.

KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus, who frequently criticises the TNI Law and the expansion of the military’s role in civilian spaces, was doused with acid while on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta, on Thursday evening, 12 March 2026. Andrie was splashed with a dangerous solution by two unidentified individuals. The two rode a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction to Andrie.

The corrosive chemical liquid hit the right side of Andrie’s body, such as his eye, face, chest, and hand. Part of the victim’s clothing also melted due to the acid. Medical examination results showed Andrie suffered serious burns covering 24 percent of his body. Andrie is currently undergoing treatment at the National Central General Hospital Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM).

The police and TNI are each investigating the case. However, the results of the investigations by both institutions differ. The Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police stated that the two executor perpetrators are initials BHC and MAK.

Meanwhile, the TNI revealed there are four suspected perpetrators involved in the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. The four are Captain NDP, First Lieutenant SL, First Lieutenant BHW, and Second Sergeant ES. The TNI Military Police Centre claimed that the four suspected perpetrators have been detained on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.