Motive Behind Andrie Yunus Acid Attack Stems from Personal Vendetta, Amnesty: An Insult to Legal Rationality

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, has criticised the disclosure of the motive behind the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Vice Coordinator of KontraS, which was attributed to personal vendetta. This motive was presented by the Military Prosecutor on Thursday morning (16/4/2026). “This is an insult to legal rationality. This is an insult to public rationality,” Usman stated during an online webinar on Thursday evening. Usman believes the incident points to a systematic and planned crime, involving various state resources, including alleged involvement of high-ranking BAIS officials that has not been revealed to the public. Furthermore, he views the judicial process in the Andrie Yunus case as merely scapegoating lower-level soldiers. “So, what can we expect from a military trial like this?” he emphasised. Usman then referenced military justice practices in 1998. He noted that in the Trisakti student shooting case, the military trial only targeted lower-level personnel. Similarly, he said, this occurred in the cases of the kidnapping and enforced disappearance of 1998 activists. “In those military trials, they were also only held for lower-level members. It was explained merely as autonomous acts by the lower-level members, either on their own initiative or due to personal vendetta,” explained Usman, a former 1998 activist. “Conversely, those who held command positions escaped responsibility,” he continued. Referencing past conditions, Usman believes the Andrie case will not be resolved if it remains under military trial. He calls for rejection of such mechanisms. “I think we must voice our rejection of the military prosecutor’s way of viewing this case as if there was a personal vendetta,” Usman explained. “There is nothing personal between Andrie and the attackers. Andrie does not know them, has never had any personal issues with them,” he added.