Kontras: No Severe Damage to Andrie Yunus's Eyes
Dimas Bagus Arya Saputra, coordinator of Komisi untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (Kontras—Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence), has disclosed the latest developments concerning his colleague Andrie Yunus, who became a victim of an alleged premeditated murder attempt last week.
He stated that as of Wednesday, 18 March 2026, the condition of Andrie Yunus, Kontras’s deputy external coordinator, is stable, including the condition of his eyes, which have undergone surgery.
“Overall, Andrie’s eyes are intact; there is no damage of a destructive nature,” Dimas said during a press conference at the HDI Hive Building in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
He explained that on Saturday, 14 March, a team of doctors from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) performed stem cell surgery as an emergency intervention to treat Andrie. Stem cell surgery is a regenerative procedure to repair damaged eye cells such as the retina, cornea, or optic nerve.
Dimas noted that despite the absence of destructive damage, Andrie’s eyes are feared not to function optimally as before. Andrie’s vision will experience a decline.
“However, he will not be blind. Only his vision will be reduced,” Dimas said.
Furthermore, he stated that RSCM doctors also reported on Andrie’s condition, who sustained approximately 20 per cent burns. These burns were located across his right side of the body.
Andrie Yunus was attacked by unknown assailants while passing along Jalan Salemba I-Talang in Central Jakarta on the evening of Thursday, 12 March 2026.
The perpetrators attacked the human rights activist by spraying corrosive chemical liquid onto several parts of his body, including his arms, chest, face, and eyes.
Medical records indicate that Andrie suffered burns exceeding 20 per cent from the caustic liquid poured by the perpetrators. The civil society coalition suspects that the attack on Andrie did not occur by chance but is related to his activities.
Dimas stated that his colleague was attacked by two unknown assailants after recording a podcast episode titled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia” conducted at the YLBHI office in Central Jakarta.
Prior to this, Dimas said, Andrie had been contacted several times by unknown numbers. Kontras documented eight unknown numbers that contacted Andrie between 9 and 11 March 2026.
Three numbers were unidentified, whilst five other numbers were traced to online lending applications and fraud schemes.
The terror directed at Andrie is not a first occurrence; one year ago, when discussions on the revision of the Military Law took place, Andrie was among the prominent figures who loudly opposed the discussions.
This alumnus of Jentera Higher School of Law also on record disrupted closed-door discussions on the Military Law revision held at the Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta.
Following this disruptive action, Andrie was harassed by calls from unknown numbers, and military tactical vehicles repeatedly passed in front of the Kontras office.
Dimas stated that terror was also directed at Andrie’s parents in Sukabumi, West Java. On 16 January, unknown individuals visited his parents’ residence.
He suspected the visit of uninvited guests was related to Andrie’s activities. “We will not retreat even a step from the work of defending human rights,” Dimas said in a written statement on 13 March 2026.