MP urges authorities to uncover intellectual masterminds behind Andrie Yunus case
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A member of Commission XIII of the People’s Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), Mafirion, has urged law enforcement authorities to uncover the intellectual actors behind the acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator for External Affairs of KontraS, Andrie Yunus.
Mafirion stated that this demand arose after the Commander of the TNI’s Central Military Police (Puspom) revealed that four suspected perpetrators of the attack are members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces’ Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS).
“Without uncovering who ordered it and what the motive behind the action was, law enforcement will only touch the surface without resolving the root of the problem,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
He also appreciated the TNI’s courage in revealing its members’ involvement and reminded that the legal process must not stop at the field perpetrators.
“We appreciate the revelation of the perpetrators. However, the handling of this case must not stop solely at the field perpetrators. The authorities must uncover who the intellectual actors are and openly reveal the motive for this violent action. Substantive justice can only be achieved if the control centre is exposed,” he said.
The involvement of state intelligence members in an attack on a human rights defender, Mafirion said, is a danger alarm for Indonesian democracy.
“The fact that the perpetrators come from a state institution shows that there is still a real threat to human rights enforcement from parties who should be protectors. The motive must be revealed: is this a form of structured intimidation against activists? The state must not lose to terror practices that threaten civil freedoms,” he said.
Mafirion conveyed that if the state fails to reach the “hands” behind the perpetrators, the public will continue to question the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens.
Therefore, he requested that the perpetrators be given the heaviest possible punishment to provide a strong deterrent effect for anyone intending to damage the democratic space.
“It is time for the state to show courage, not just procedure. The authorities must trace who ordered, funded, and benefited from it. If they fail to uncover the masterminds, the public has the right to ask: what is behind the power’s silence? Justice must not stop at the surface,” said Mafirion.