PDIP Member Bonnie Says Caustic Soda Attack on Andrie Yunus Is Evidence of Human Rights Emergency

PDIP Member Bonnie Says Caustic Soda Attack on Andrie Yunus Is Evidence of Human Rights Emergency

Bonnie Triyana, a member of the House of Representatives from the PDIP faction, has characterised the caustic soda attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of KontraS, as concrete evidence of a human rights emergency in Indonesia.

Bonnie considers the case not merely an ordinary criminal act, but an assault on Indonesia’s long history of human rights struggle.

“The caustic soda attack on Andrie Yunus, which is an inhumane act and concrete evidence of a human rights emergency and a form of anti-democratic practice in Indonesia,” said Bonnie in a statement on Saturday (14 March).

According to Bonnie, history shows that violence against activists has never succeeded in suppressing freedom of expression. Rather, terror causes civil movements to rise up and grow stronger.

The attack on Andrie, she added, recalls historical records of violence against Indonesian activists, ranging from the abduction of activists in 1997/1998, the murder of Marsinah (1993), to Munir (2004).

Bonnie recalled that Indonesia’s founding father Sukarno was an activist who was repeatedly imprisoned and exiled because of his critical voice against colonialism.

Similarly, PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri also experienced periods when democracy was suppressed and critical voices were silenced during the Suharto era.

“That bitter experience should serve as a valuable lesson that violence and suppression never bring good to the nation,” said Bonnie.

Therefore, she said, it is ironic that in the Reformasi era, which was born from a spirit of democracy, a human rights defender is attacked with caustic soda merely for speaking.

Bonnie has urged police to arrest the perpetrators and uncover the intellectual actors behind the attack on Andrie.

The perpetrator should be charged under multiple articles, including Article 459 of the Criminal Code concerning attempted premeditated murder with a maximum penalty.

“The state, through law enforcement officers, has a moral and constitutional responsibility to ensure that cases of violence against activists do not end in impunity as has happened many times in the past,” she said.

Andrie experienced the caustic soda attack while riding a motorcycle in the Salemba area, East Jakarta, after attending a podcast at the YLBHI office on Thursday (12 March) evening.

KontraS Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya revealed the characteristics of the suspected perpetrators. The first suspect was wearing a white-and-blue combination shirt, dark trousers suspected to be jeans, and a black helmet.

The second perpetrator, the passenger, wore a black face covering or mask resembling a buff that covered half the face, a dark blue shirt, and blue trousers folded to appear short and suspected to be made of jeans.

“One of the perpetrators then poured caustic soda towards the victim, hitting parts of the victim’s body. As a result of the attack, the victim immediately screamed in pain and dropped his motorcycle,” he explained in a written statement.