National Commission on Human Rights to Investigate Acid Attack on Andrie Yunus

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will commence an investigation into the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Vice Coordinator of External Affairs at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras). The investigation will gather evidence and comprehensive information regarding the incident.

Komnas HAM Chairman Anis Hidayah stated that the agency would ensure the case of violence against the human rights activist would not be dismissed. “We will fight for justice for the victim, recovery, and how to prevent similar repressive practices in the future,” Anis said during the launch of the Civil Society and Democracy online learning programme in Jakarta on Friday evening, 13 March 2026.

Anis also suspects that the acid attack on Andrie was deliberate and premeditated. She assessed that the use of acid demonstrated preparation before the attack. “Because someone pouring acid would definitely prepare beforehand and so on, especially when done in the middle of the night like this,” she said.

According to Anis, the attack on Andrie constitutes violence against a human rights defender. She believed the action had the potential to be an attempt to suppress freedom of expression and narrow civic space. “This incident could create widespread fear,” she said.

The attack on Andrie occurred on Thursday night, 12 March 2026, around 23:37 WIB on Jalan Salemba I Talang, Central Jakarta. Two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle approached the victim and sprayed corrosive chemical liquid at his body.

Andrie was travelling home after completing a podcast recording titled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review of the National Military Law” at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation office.

As a result of the attack, the victim sustained burns covering approximately 24 per cent of his body, including the face, chest, both hands, and the eyes. Andrie is currently undergoing intensive treatment at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital and is scheduled to undergo amniotic membrane transplant surgery for his eyes.